


Slip of the Hand

by LadyFogg



Series: Ryan & Fox Series [1]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: Blood, Blood and Torture, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fake AH Crew, Fingering, Fluff, GTA AU, GTA Ryan, Gun Violence, Language, NSFW, Oral Sex, Rough Sex, Sex, Sexual Content, Smut, Torture, Vaginal Fingering, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-17
Updated: 2015-03-05
Packaged: 2018-03-13 11:04:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 20
Words: 60,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3379205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyFogg/pseuds/LadyFogg
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You’re hired to get some information on the Fake AH Crew, no matter what it takes. When things don’t go according to planned, the result is actually not that bad.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“I need you to get some information.”

Clearly. There would be no other reason why the Boss would call you into his office. It’s the one job you did for him. You were great at gathering information for him. Sometimes you just listened for it. Other times you stole the information. It really didn’t matter what method you used as long as you brought the Boss what he needed to know.

“On who?” you ask, taking a seat in the chair in front of his desk.

He picks up the folder sitting in front of him and hands it to you. You flip through its contents until you come across photos of six men.

“They call themselves the ‘Fake AH Crew’,” Boss says. “They’ve been pulling large heists over the past few months and it’s starting to get in the way of my own plans.”

“What do you need?” you ask, studying the photos in an attempt to memorize their faces. It’s hard for one of the men since he has a ridiculous skull mask on. But the rest are pretty recognizable, which makes your job much easier.

“Everything you can get,” Boss says, leaning back in his chair. “These guys are starting to become a pain in my ass. They have no respect for the chain of command or of territories. Bring me what you find and then I’ll take care of them.”

You know a dismissal when you hear one and you nod before getting up and leaving his office. You allow yourself a heavy sigh as soon as you’re out of the building. True, you love your job. You love gathering information on people and getting paid for it. You’re a master of disguises and can blend into a crowd quite well. You frequently use both these skills to your advantage. But you’re really tired of working for other people, especially your new boss. You've seen many men just like him come and go in this line of work.

Hell you were the one who sold their secrets to each other on more than one occasion.

Maybe after this job you’ll find work elsewhere. Maybe you’ll work for someone who doesn’t want to try to control all of Los Santos. Clearly it never works out.

You could work for yourself, but you really just want the money, not the information or the power.

Once you’re back at your apartment, you go through the file a little more thoroughly. You’re not quite sure which one of them would make a better target for information. Trying to gather from all of them at once would be too risky. You need to start with one and hope it’ll lead you to information about the others. You notice in their file there is information about where they like to go after a heist. It's a club a few blocks from your home that you’re somewhat familiar with. Apparently the crew gathers there for drinks and unwinding after a big score.

You see that they are pulling a job today, so that means they will be at the club tonight. Perfect.

You put the file down and head for your large walk in closet. What to wear, what to wear. So many clothes for so many occasions. Considering you don’t know too much about them, it’s difficult to choose the right look. You eventually settle on the dark red, spaghetti-strapped, form-fitting dress you favor. It always seems to help you get the job done. Seduction is your best weapon and it’s your go-to when you don’t know your target. It may not be necessary tonight, but you don’t mind getting a little sexed up for the occasion.

You spend the rest of the day pouring over the file until it begins to get dark.

 _Geoff, Gavin, Michael, Ray, Jack and Ryan. Ryan is the masked one,_ you repeat to yourself over and over again. Since you don’t know what he looks like, he’s the one you need to keep an eye out for.

You take your time getting ready, making sure to pay special attention to each of your best features. Once you’re all done up and ready to go, you catch a taxi to the club. The club in question is actually one your boss owns, which you imagine also pisses him off. First they rob his banks, then they party at his clubs. You think it’s actually kind of funny.

The place is already packed by the time you get there. You bypass the line and trade greetings with the bouncer as he lets you in. Once you’ve taken a quick look around the room, you place yourself at the bar, where you can get a clear look at the room. The crew isn’t there yet, so you order a drink and wait.

You don’t have to for very long.

They come in together as group, laughing and yelling to each other. Most of the other patrons ignore them, but not you. You recognize each of them from their photo, except for the tall one with dirty-blond hair and blue eyes.

 _That must be Ryan…_ you think, remembering the crew member with the mask. You can’t help but admire him, though you tell yourself it’s purely for professional reasons.

The crew sits down in one of the booths in the corner and you settle in to watch and wait. Several men try to approach you, but you send them off with a polite shake of the head and a no. You don’t have a problem with them, until the night drags on and the men become drunker and drunker. 

The Fake AH Crew doesn’t seem to ever separate. They remain together most of the night, laughing and cheering and drinking. Well, most are drinking. You notice Ryan doesn’t have a drink and neither does the dark-haired one, Ray. The information is interesting, but not really something your boss is looking for.

“Hey, baby,” a voice slurs next to you. “You can’t sit here in that outfit and not expect me to take a shot.”

You roll your eyes and turn to the drunk man you have already turned down twice. “I can do whatever I’d like and I’ve already told you ‘no’.” You get of your stool, before downing the rest of the drink you had ordered. You need to move closer to the crew to try and hear what they are saying, now that you’ve watched them for awhile.

“Listen…” the drunk man says, grabbing your arm.

You don’t even have time to react before someone pushes him onto the ground.

“I believe the lady has already told you to get lost,” Ryan says. His presence confuses you, as you don’t remember seeing him leave the rest of the crew. Yet here he is. Right at your side.

The drunk man looks like he wants to start a fight, but when he actually looks up at Ryan, he pales and mumbles an apology, before stumbling to his feet and disappearing into the crowd. He is much taller than the short, drunk man and is definitely intimidating.

“Thank you,” you say to Ryan. “Though, I could have handled it.”

Ryan smiles at you. “I’m sure you could have,” he says. “But I have no patience for men who repeatedly harass women.”

“Neither do I,” you agree. You cock your head to the side. “How did you know he hit on me already? Have you been watching me?” You are genuinely curious because your eyes were on him and his crew most of the night and you’re sure you would have seen him checking you out.

You can’t tell with the stupid lighting in the club, but it almost seems like Ryan is blushing. “You’re a hard woman to not notice,” he says.

This comment doesn’t surprise you, considering what you’re wearing. But his reaction does and you smile. “Dance with me,” you say, grabbing his hand.

He resists for a moment, but you’re already leading him onto the dance floor. The song is fast and the beat is just okay, but you weren’t going to pass up such an opportunity. If you could somehow get your hands on his wallet, you can get his address and break into his place. It’s better than you could have hoped for. You could probably gather all the information you needed and then some.

“I’m not much of a dancer,” Ryan yells to you over the music.

“I’m sure you’re just fine,” you say back, taking his hands and forcing him to move.

He looks a little uncomfortable at first, but soon he falls in rhythm with the song and he seems to relax a little. He steps closer to you as you both move with the music. His hands come to gently rest on your waist and you immediately slide yours around his.

You’re happy he’s not wearing that ridiculous mask. He’s actually quite handsome. His eyes are trained on yours as you dance. The lights in the club are flashing now, but you can still make out most of his features.

Something changes. You can feel the air shift and suddenly you’re not just two people dancing. Somehow you become one unit, moving together across the dance floor, completely in-sync with each other. The song switches to something with a slightly slower tempo and you both react instinctively to it, pressing against each other as you sway.

You see his eyes briefly glance at your mouth and you can’t help but smirk slightly.

He’s really making this too easy for you.

You press your body fully against his and lean up, gently pressing your lips to his. You feel him freeze for a moment and you briefly wonder if he’s going to push you away. It doesn’t matter if he does; you’ve already slipped your hand into his back pocket and grabbed his wallet.

His hands grip your hips tightly and he practically crushes you against him as he deepens the kiss. It takes you by surprise for a second, before you find yourself kissing him back.

Your body reacts accordingly and if it wasn’t for the fact that you just stole his wallet, you would probably lead him to a dark corner and have your way with him.

But you’ve got a job to do.

You pull away from the kiss and find yourself breathless. His eyes are filled with passion and hunger and you know he’s going to reach for you again. But you can’t let him this time.

You take a couple of steps back, letting a few people come between you both. As soon as his line of sight with you is broken, you turn and do what you do best; you blend into the crowd. You move through the club quickly, using the path you have used a few times before. The hallway to the restroom is crowded, but you slip past everyone virtually unnoticed until you reach one of the doors leading to the outside.

You slip out of the club and take a deep breath as the night air cools your overheated skin. You make your way down the alley, looking at Ryan’s wallet. There’s cash, which you leave, but there is also his ID. Perfect. Now you have an address. You flip the wallet close and slip it into your purse.

Your arm is seized suddenly and you find yourself pressed against the brick wall of the club.

Ryan has followed you.

Immediately you’re terrified. He must have realized his wallet was missing. You look around frantically, trying to find a way to escape. You’re not one for physical confrontation and while you do know some self-defense, it’s probably nothing compared to what you’re sure he knows.

But then his mouth is on yours and you find yourself trapped between the wall and his hard frame. The unmistakable feeling of his erection jabbing into your thigh sends a chill through your body and you can help but press yourself against it.

 _Well then…_ you think.

He pulls his mouth away from yours. “You can’t kiss me like that and just disappear,” he pants, his hands pushing up the hem of your form-fitting dress. Any sign of the slight blush and hesitancy from before is completely gone now.

“Evidently not,” you respond. “What are you planning to do about it?”

Ryan smirks before leaning in to kiss you again, his hands grip the back of your thighs as he lifts you up. You immediately respond by wrapping your legs around his waist, your tongue stroking his as he hungrily explores your mouth. Your purse slides from your shoulder and drops to the ground but you don’t even care because Ryan just slipped his hand into your underwear.

His skilled fingers are quick as they stroke your aching sex and you pull away from his mouth to groan. The noise echoes through the empty alley briefly before it’s drowned out by the sound of the club music coming through the walls.

Ryan smirks at you, his eyes sparkling with mischief. “I think I like the sound of you moaning.”

His words make goosebumps rise along your arms and you tighten your legs around him, pulling him in closer. “Keep going and you’ll hear plenty more,” you practically purr, biting your lip as his thumb gently moves across your clit.

“Believe me,” Ryan says, his voice dropping just above a whisper as his mouth falls to your throat. “I’m not going to stop any time soon…” He halts his movements before glancing up at you. “Unless you want me to.”

You’re taken aback for a moment, but recover almost instantly. His words are actually refreshing. As many times as you’ve played this game before, this is the first time your feelings are actually considered. You slip your hand into his hair and pull his head back so you can kiss him again. “You better not,” you mumble against his lips in between kisses. You feel him grin and then his hand is moving again. Stars begin to decorate your vision.

His other hand leaves your waist and you feel him reach down to undo his pants. You hear the zipper and then rustling before his hand is gripping your thigh. His other hand stops massaging you and you can’t help but let out a soft whimper. He notices and chuckles. “Ready for me are you?”

“Just fucking get on with it,” you growl.

He raises his eyebrow at you, but says nothing. Instead he moves your underwear to the side and then his cock is pressing into you and you shut your eyes, letting your head fall back against the brick wall. He pauses and swears. His breath is ghosting across your neck. You remain silent as he takes a moment to collect himself.

Then he begins to move.

His hips are slow and you clench around him, drawing him in on every thrust. Your body is beginning to ache from being held up against the wall, but his cock is more than making up for it. Your lips seek his mouth and he happily responds. His hands are gripping your thighs tightly as he lifts you up and down on his throbbing manhood.

When he picks up the pace, you whimper. He brushes against your sensitive spot and deepens his movements.

“Fuck!” you gasp.

He’s grinning again, his eyes focused entirely on yours. “There it is…” he says softly. “Fuck you feel amazing!”

You groan in response, shutting your eyes again and mashing your bottom lip between your teeth.

His movements are now in tune with the beat of the club music and you feel your orgasm slowly approaching. “Touch me,” you order.

He’s grunting as he thrusts now, but at your words his hand slips in between you with no hesitation. When he thumb drags across your clit you cry out this time. Your body is shaking now and between his thrusts and his thumb you’re coming completely undone.

He seems to be right there with you because his movements are faster now, less direct and slightly sloppy. You blindly seek his mouth, wanting to taste his tongue as you ride out your orgasm. He moans into your mouth as his release comes just behind yours, his hand digging into the skin of your thigh as he struggles to hold you up.

When you both can finally think straight, he carefully lowers your legs onto the ground. You push the skirt of your dress back into place before collapsing against the wall. You shut your eyes as you try to catch your breath and make your heart stop thumping so wildly in your chest. You hear Ryan tuck himself back into his pants and pull up his zipper. When you manage to drag your eyes open, his holding your purse up for you.

“You dropped this,” he says with a smirk.

Remembering what’s actually in your purse, you snatch it from him and slide the strap over your shoulder. “Thanks,” you mumble.  The alleyway seems oddly quiet now as you both stare at each other.

“I should get back to the guys,” Ryan eventually says, motioning over his shoulder to the club.

“I’m sure they’re wondering where you are,” you say, nodding in agreement.

He stares at you for a moment before leaning forward and pulling you into a surprisingly gentle kiss. You respond hesitantly. When he pulls back, he takes your hand. “Let me at least get you a taxi.”

You don’t really know how to respond to his kindness so you just nod. You walk down the alley, hand-in-hand, falling into a comfortable silence. When you reach the sidewalk, you find the noises of the cars and people too much. You just want to get home and be alone with your thoughts. Your conflicting and very confused thoughts.

Ryan waves down a taxi and opens the door for you once it pulls to a stop by the curb. You allow yourself to smile at him and place a quick kiss on his cheek before hastily getting into the waiting car. He shuts the door behind you. As the taxi pulls into traffic, you let out a sigh of relief and open your purse.

But instead of Ryan’s wallet, you find a folded piece of paper. You seize it and quickly unfold it. Scrawled in untidy handwriting are the words _Call me_ , followed by a phone number. You turn to look out the back windshield. Ryan is still standing on the curb and he shoots you a large grin before giving you a small wave with his wallet. You can’t help but grin and nod back in return.

_Well played._


	2. Chapter 2

You don’t really get that much sleep.

And when you finally are able to close your eyes, you dream of Ryan. Of his hands all over your body. Of his hot demanding mouth as it claimed yours. Of his cock pressing into your willing folds.

Needless to say when you wake up you are not only still tired, but incredibly worked up as well. You lay in bed for a few minutes, staring at the ceiling and willing your heart rate to slow down and the heat to leave your body. Slowly you reach onto your end table and your fingers curl around the small piece of paper that has been by your side all night. It’s starting to feel worn from all the times you’ve unfolded and refolded it.

You stare at Ryan’s handwriting and his phone number. You want to call him. You want to tell him where you are so he can come over and take you again.

But that would be a ludicrous idea and you may be smitten, but you’re not an idiot.

You spend the morning exercising and trying to work off some of your frustration. But every time you let your mind drift, you turn to the Fake AH Crew file. You now know it by heart, but you still flip through the pages. You always stop on Ryan’s picture, and curse that the only one you have is him with that mask. You try to think of what you’re next move should be, but nothing you come up with sounds like it could work. You would have to seek out the crew member individually, which is not really problem. Unless they are with Ryan.

Because you screwed up and he knows your face now.

If he sees you hanging around any of the other members of his crew, he’s going to get suspicious. You can only change your look so much. It’s not completely out of the question, but this job is going to be trickier than you thought it would be.

When your phone rings, you hesitate to answer it. For some reason you have this wild thought that it could be him calling, but you realize how ridiculous that would be. There’s no way he could have your number.

“Hello?” you say into the phone.

“Where are you on the crew?” Boss’s impatient voice booms through your cellphone and you briefly pull the device away from your ear.

“I’m working on it,” you say, trying to keep the annoyance from your voice. You hate being pestered.

“Well I need you to work on it faster,” Boss snaps. “The sooner I get these novices off the street the better I’ll feel. They keep moving in on my banks and I don’t appreciate it.”

As he talks you begin to pace your apartment, running a hand through your hair. “I understand that,” you say. “But these things take time. With this large a group I have to be careful. I’ve never steered you wrong before and I don’t plan on starting now.”

“Yeah well whatever you’re planning make it quick,” Boss counters. “Or are you too busy fucking random guys to really care about getting information?”

You freeze when he says this and red hot anger surges through you. You’re not surprised that he had someone watching you. He’s had you followed and watched on most of the jobs you’ve taken from him. But he’s never made comments about what you do with your time, nor has he shown any interest before. You are not amused and it puts you on edge.

“What I do with my time is none of your fucking business,” you snap. “And, what I do with my vagina is also none of your business. You want to have your people watching me, fine, whatever. I already know there’s nothing I can do to get you to stop them. But if they get in my way, I will not hesitate to take them out.”

“Are you threatening me?” Boss asks angrily.

“I’m warning you,” you tell him. There’s a knock on your door. You ignore it with the hope it will stop. “I know what I’m doing. I always do my job.” The knocking continues and by this point, you’re too distracted to ask who it is. You march over to the door and yank it open.

Boss’s response is completely missed as you find Ryan standing in the hallway. You’re so shocked you just freeze at the door, your mouth hanging open slightly. He gives you a grin and a small wave.

He looks just as incredible as he did last night. You can’t help but think back to the alley, how he had you pressed against the wall with his hand between your legs…

You come back to your senses and realize the Boss is going on about being the one in charge and how you answer to him. His words draw you back into the conversation and your anger comes back with a vengeance.

“Listen to me, you overweight sack of shit,” you snap into the phone, effectively cutting off the Boss’s words. “Just because you hired me, does not me I am your staff. You hired me to do a job, and I’m going to deliver because I’m a fucking professional.” You move away from Ryan and you hear him step inside before closing the door.

“I have seen countless lard-asses in your same position, and you know what? I’m still here and they aren’t. So back the fuck off and let me do my job!”

You pull the phone away from your ear and jam your thumb on the screen to end the call. Sometimes you miss having a landline. Smashing the receive back down was much more satisfying than pressing a damn screen. You’re so worked up you briefly forget you aren’t alone anymore.

“Well then,” Ryan speaks up. “Remind me never to get on your bad side.”

You close yours eyes briefly and take a deep breath, before turning around to face him. “How did you find me?” you ask, dropping your phone onto the coffee table.

Ryan held up his hand and you see your ID dangling between his fingers. You glare at him and snatch it away. “Real nice,” you say.

He puts his hands up in surrender. “Hey, you stole my whole wallet,” he says. “Besides, I figured you weren’t going to call, so I needed a way to track you down.”

“Why are you here?” you ask, your mouth drawn into a straight line as you place your hands on your hips.

He studies you for a moment. “Trouble with your boss?” he asks.

“Something like that,” you answer. “But don’t deflect. Why are you here?”

Ryan doesn’t answer right away. He looks around your apartment. “What was he yelling at you about?” he asks.

You give a heavy sigh. You’re not in the mood for dancing around questions. “Yet again I ask, why are you here?” you ask.

Ryan shrugs. “I wanted to see you,” he says.

Your face grows hot and you have the sneaking suspicion you’re blushing. “Why?” you ask.

Ryan’s eyes grow hooded and he takes a few steps towards you. “Because I can’t stop thinking about what happened in the alley,” he says. 

This actually thrills you. It’s great to know you’re not the only one who has been suffering all morning. “Me neither,” you admit. He’s standing in front of you now and you want to just grab him and drag him into the bedroom. But you’re suspicious by nature and instead you take a moment to eye him. “But since you only wanted your wallet back it sort of diminishes the memory.”

Ryan shook his head. “I didn’t only want my wallet back,” he says. “Actually, I only noticed it when I went to slip my phone number into your purse.”

You stare at him for a moment, lost for words. “Oh…” you say. “Well that’s embarrassing.” Ryan laughs. It’s the first time you’ve heard him do so and the sound is surprisingly pleasant. In fact it makes you crack a smile and you gesture to the couch. “Do you want to sit?”

He nods and you both take a seat on your plush sofa.

“So, why _did_ you steal my wallet?” he asks.

“I need information,” you tell him. You don’t see any point in lying to him. The way you see it, if he thought you only wanted to steal his wallet for the money, he wouldn’t be asking about it. It was pretty obvious that wasn’t the case since you didn’t even touch the cash he was carrying.

“Is it for your boss?” Ryan asks, arms crossing over his chest.

“It’s what I do,” you tell him. “People pay me. I gather information. Then I pass the information on to whoever hired me.”

“Who wants information on us?” Ryan asks.

At this you shake your head. “Sorry,” you say. “That I can’t tell you.”

“What can you tell me?” Ryan asks.

“I can tell you I’m getting paid a lot of money to gather all the information on your crew that I can,” you answer.

“Learn anything useful?” Ryan questions.

You give him a rueful smile. “I wish I could be cheeky and make it seem like I know everything,” you say. “But that would be a big fat lie. I only got this job yesterday, and I’ve only observed a few things about you. None of it is what my Boss would be interested in.”

“Really? Nothing useful? Are we that borning?” Ryan asks.

You laugh. “I didn’t get a chance to really listen to you guys,” you tell him. “You sort of distracted me.”

“And I’m glad I did,” Ryan says smirking. “But you must have learned something. Professional like yourself?”

You can tell he’s egging you on, but it doesn’t seem like he’s trying to hide it. Actually, he doesn’t seem all that worried about the fact someone is looking into their activities. “Well,” you say. “For one thing, I’ve seen your face. And based on the conversation we just had, the stupid people he had following me didn’t realize you were part of the crew. But, Boss never asked me to find out what you look like. So in my head, that information is not important to him.”

Ryan looks at you out of the corner of his eye. “That sounds like a roundabout way of protecting me,” he says.

You shrug. “Just because I haven’t revealed it now, doesn’t mean anything,” you tell him. “I can always reveal it later if I need to.”

“What would it take for you not to?” Ryan asks.

You raise your eyebrow at him. “Are you planning on bribing me?” you question.

He smirks. “Working with you,” he says. “In a sense.”

You move a little closer to him, intrigued. “Go on,” you say.

“I’ll feed you some information on us, it may be useful, it may not be,” Ryan says, his hand sliding across the couch to touch yours. “And in return, you feed me information on this Boss character. You get information for me; we stay one step ahead.”

“Interesting,” you admit. “What’s in it for me?”

“Money,” Ryan says. “We’ve been talking about hiring on a consultant and this could be an audition of sorts. It could be a nice steady gig for you.”

You think over his words carefully. “That’s a nice offer,” you say. “But, unless you can double my fee than I’m not sure I can accept.”

He raises his eyebrows at you. “Double?”

“If I’m just your consultant, I won’t be taking as many other jobs so I’m going to need my income supplemented in some way,” you tell him. “Plus, I’ll need to up my security if I’m going to be associated with a specific crew.”

“What’s your standard fee?” Ryan asks.

“Two million.”

He lets out a low whistle. “Wow, you’re expensive,” he says and you can’t help but smirk. “But, I’m sure you’re more than worth it. We can swing that. I’ll even throw in a little something extra.”

“Oh?” you ask curiously. “What would that be?”

His hand closes around yours and you find yourself being pulled into his lap. “Sex with me when you want it,” he says with a grin.

The thought thrills you, but you can’t help but laugh. “Are you guys really that desperate that you’re willing to pimp yourself out?” you ask.

He chuckles. “Nah,” he says. “I just really enjoyed having sex with you. Wanted you to the know that even though we may be working together, it’s still totally on the table.”

“Good to know,” you say, sliding your hands under his t-shirt. His hard torso feels great under your wandering palms and his skin is warm and inviting. “It certainly sweetens the pot. But I’m still not completely convinced.”

Ryan’s arms circle your waist and he presses his body up into yours. “Let me fix that then,” he says, before placing a trail of kisses along your collarbone. You drag his head back so you can press your lips against his, moaning into his mouth as his tongue slides against yours. His hands travel down your waist to cup your backside and you chuckle into his kiss. 

You remember Boss’s words however, and you reluctantly pull away. “Wait,” you say, sounding a little breathless. “We can’t do this here.”

Ryan pulls back as well and looks up at you. “Why not?” he asks, his hands gently stroking your jean-clad thigh.

“Boss is having me watched,” you say. “It’s not going to take them long to figure out who you actually are. Right now they think you’re just some guy.”

“I can be just some guy,” Ryan says with a shrug.

“They’ll figure it out, trust me,” you say. “At least Boss will. And even if they don’t, and I don’t deliver, they probably will try to come after you to get to me it’ll just be a fucking mess.”

“So what do you want to do?” Ryan asks, leaning back to lay his head against the armrest.

You bite your lip as you think. You don’t like the idea of going to some motel somewhere. It seems too seedy and makes it seems like you’re ashamed. On the contrary. You’re excited you’re going to be having sex with Ryan again. But if you are going to work with him, you’re going to need a safe place to do not just sleep together, but exchange information as well. “From now on, we’ll meet in my office,” you say. “I do some work here, but my prefer to use my office across town, and I know for a fact they don’t know about it. I can meet you there in about an hour. That should give me time to lose anyone following me.”

“An hour?” Ryan whines with disappointment. “But I have you right on top of me now.” He pulls you closer and his mouth presses against yours hungrily, causing you to moan and squirm against him.

You kiss him back for a few seconds before you force yourself to pull away. “I know,” you say. “But we need to be careful with this.”

“Does this office of yours have a comfy couch too?” he asks.

“It’s actually another apartment, I just call it my office,” you say with a chuckle. “So, yes. It does. And it has a bed.”

“Excellent,” Ryan says smirking. He pulls you into another kiss before making a move to sit up. You heave yourself off his lap and let him stand. “Then, I will see you in an hour. It’ll actually give me time to get in touch with the guys and set up the money.”

“Perfect,” you say. You slide your arms around his waist and stand up on your tip-toes to give him a quick peck on the lips. “I look forward to possibly working with you in the future.”

“Mmm, and I you,” Ryan says, his lips brushing against yours. “Damn it, do I really have to leave? Going to pop a zipper here.” He is sporting a visible bulge.

You laugh and let your hands fall from his waist. “I have every bit of confidence you’ll be fine.” You can’t help but let your hand brush against his bulge teasingly.

He closes his eyes as he takes a deep breath. When he opens them again, they are cloudy and he looks like he’s going to jump you. “I hope you know this means I’m going to just go to town on you,” he says in a low voice.

A shudder runs through your body and you have a mental image of the both of you tangled in bedsheets, moaning and moving against each other wildly. “Can’t wait,” you say smiling.

Ryan takes a deep breath and backs away from you. “Okay,” he says. He picks up your cellphone from the coffee table and punches in his own number. “Text me the address. I’ll see you there.”

You catch the phone as he tosses it to you. You watch him leave, adrenaline and hormones surging through your body. You already know you’re going to officially accept Ryan’s deal. It’s too good to pass up and the thought that you could actually work with him for some reason makes you feel a small flutter in your stomach.

Also, this is the first time you will actually be working with a crew. You’ve done all sorts of jobs throughout your career, but consulting wasn’t one of them. All this information you have in your head could actually be put to use. You’re not exactly sure what kind of information the crew is going to want. They seem to only be interested in pulling heists, so you suppose you’ll be doing a lot of recon and staking out the banks and stores they are looking to hit next. It’s not your favorite thing in the world, but it’s a lot easier than some of the other jobs you’ve had.

Regardless, you are too intrigued to turn them down. If things don’t work out, you can always betray them. The thoughts makes you feel a small pang of guilt but you ignore it.

You have to admit, getting paid double what you normally do, with sex on the side, is probably the best offer you’ve ever had or will ever have.

You glance out the window and see a black sedan parked on the curb. Boss’s men are trying to look nonchalant, but they’re glancing at your building too frequently for it to work. “Now,” you say to yourself as you go to your room to get ready. “Time to lose these assholes.”


	3. Chapter 3

You play with the idea of creating a disguise. But, you actually enjoy the idea of toying with the idiots surveying you. It would be much more satisfying to have them see you and then get upset when they realize they’ve lost you. Also the thought of them having to go back to Boss and say they can’t find you is just too good to pass up.

You grab the AH Crew file and slip it into your messenger bag. You make sure you have your wallet and phone before heading out the door.

When you leave your apartment building, you are sure to use the back entrance.

You’re on the road within minutes, and at first you think that you aren’t being followed. But sure enough when you get to the first stop light, you see the sedan several cars behind you. You take a few unexpected turns, however they still follow close behind.

At a stop light, you adjust your rear-view mirror and give them men a cheeky wave. They don’t seem impressed. Without waiting for the light to change green, you slam on the gas peddle and shoot forward, weaving expertly through traffic. You ignore the honks and tire screeches, moving in between cars. The black sedan is right behind you, but they have to skid to a halt as a tractor trailer nearly barrels into them.

You don’t need to, but you get onto the highway anyways. After a few minutes, the black sedan is back and you let out a noise of annoyance. “Persistent assholes,” you mutter to yourself.

You make sure to get off at the next exit and take the road with the most traffic. There are too many cars in between you both for them to keep a good eye on you, and the second you have a chance you jump back onto the highway, waving as you drive past them.

By the time you get to the exit you need to, they are no where to be seen. 

Your office is in a quieter part of the city, in a pretty unassuming place. You like it because it actually helps you think. You live in such a busy and loud place, that the quiet is a nice change of pace. You’ve actually thought about moving into your office full time. You’re getting really sick of your other apartment. Especially since the Boss knows where it is.

You haven’t been there for a few days, so you take a few moments to open the windows and air out the place. You have a cork board behind your large desk and you take down the notes and information from your last job. Carefully you put them into a folder and tuck them away in your filing cabinet. You lock the drawer for good measure. You check the kitchen to see what you have stocked, just in case Ryan stays longer than you plan.

Just as you close the refrigerator, your phone buzzes: _Are you there yet? I’m in the parking lot._

You text him the apartment number and as you wait for him, you drop your messenger bag onto your desk chair. A few minutes later there is a knock on the door. You check this time before opening it. Ryan rushes in and at first you think he’s going to come right at you, but instead he bypasses you and heads to the window.

This makes you uneasy and you follow him. “Did they come after you too?” you ask.

He peeks through the shades at the street. “I thought they might have,” he says. “But I think I lost them.”

“You think?” you ask, immediately looking out with him. The street was quiet. A car or two pass, but you didn’t see the Boss’s signature sedans anywhere. In fact, no cars are parked out front. This is not something unusual, but you still don’t trust it.

“We’re good,” Ryan concludes, closing the shades.

You pull away from the window, your face a mask of worry. But then you catch sight of how Ryan is looking at you. His eyes are roaming your body hungrily and he snakes his arms around your waist, pulling you to him. “This last hour was torture,” he says softly as he nuzzles your neck.

You chuckle. “But you survived,” you point out.

He pulls you flush against his body and you feel the bulge of his erection pressing into you. “Barely,” he says.

You worm out of his grasp and take a step back. “Business first,” you tell him.

Ryan groans. “Sex first,” he counters.

You scoff. “Yeah, no,” you say. “That’s not how this is going to work.”

“So how is it going to work?” Ryan asks, crossing his arms.

You take a few steps back so you can lean against your wooden desk. “We trade information, I pass it to Boss,” you tell him. “Then the sex can just be a little treat after we’re done working.”

Ryan smirks, advancing on you. His predatory gaze is back and you feel that familiar wave of desire wash over you. “There’s a heist going down later this week,” he says.

When he doesn’t continue, you raise your eyebrows at him. “That’s it?” you ask. “That’s all I get?”

He’s standing right in front of you now and you open your legs so he can stand between them. “Wouldn’t it be strange to the Boss if you suddenly knew where and when the heist was going down?” he asks. “I mean, you did just tell him you didn’t learn much.”

“True,” you admit, placing your hands on his waist. “But just saying that there is a heist going down doesn’t really prove that I’m doing my job.”

“Well I am a little distracted right now,” Ryan says, his fingers gently tracing your collarbone. “I can’t even think about what bank we’re going to hit.”

You laugh. “You’re so full of shit,” you say.

He wraps his arms around you and leans down, pressing his lips against yours. You kiss him back, opening your mouth and accepting his curious tongue. A small moan escapes his lips and the sound shoots straight down to your groin. You pull away to catch your breath and his blue eyes are clouded with lust. “Maybe once I’m spent my head will be clear enough to remember…” he purrs, his hands sliding under your shirt.

You’re not really in a position to argue with him. You’re just as worked up as he is and if this is how he wants to play it, you’re more than happy to oblige. You pull away and take the hem of your shirt in your hands, sliding the garment up over your head and throwing it on the ground. Ryan does the same with his shirt and you admire his naked, toned chest with appreciation. You hop off the desk and unbutton your jeans. After you push them down your hips, Ryan grabs you by the waist and sits you up back on the desk.

“I didn’t realize when you said that sex was still on the table, you meant literally,” you say jokingly.

He grins. “I didn’t, until now,” he says, grabbing your jeans and dragging them off your legs. He pushes you gently onto your back and you lift your hips for him as he slides your underwear off. His hands gently grab your thighs and he spreads your legs apart before leaning down to run his tongue along your aching slit.

You gasp at the unexpected action.

His tongue gives you a few loving strokes before moving to circle your sensitive clit. You let out a moan and allow your hands to tangle into his soft hair.

His mouth works you expertly, his lips and tongue driving you crazy as he tastes every bit of you within reach. His lips feel so impossibly soft that it’s actually driving you crazy. The tender brush against your most sensitive area causing goosebumps to rise across your body.

He adjusts his hold on you before pushing your legs open even more, giving himself better access. Within minutes, you’re moaning and writhing under his gentle assault. When his tongue slides inside of you, you buckle wildly. You move your legs over his shoulders and pull him in closer. He removes his tongue, only to replace it with his finger. He moves the digit in and out of you quickly, his tongue returning its attention to that special bundle of nerves.

“Ryan!” You gasp his name as a warning, but he doesn’t stop. He adds a second fingers and sucks harder at your trembling flesh.

Your orgasm is practically ripped from you and you ride out the pleasure while gripping his hair tightly. When your vision returns, he’s pulling away and you suddenly feel cold without him touching you. You open your eyes to see him undoing his pants and kicking them to the side. His erection is begging for your attention, but when you sit up to reach for him, he forces you onto your back again and grabs your hips. With one quick tug he pulls you towards the edge of the desk.

“Stay just like that,” he orders in a breathless tone, his hand closing around his aching member. He begins to stroke himself as he stares at you and you allow yourself a luxurious stretch, displaying all of your body for him to see.

He groans and his other hand returns to your waist again. He presses the tip of his manhood against your entrance and holds it there for a second, until you move so you’re taking him into yourself. He lets himself go to grab your waist again before he’s sliding completely into you. You both let out loud moans and you grip the edge of the desk tightly to steady yourself.

When he’s buried deep inside of you, the force pushes you up the desk. You wrap your arms around him and plant your feet flat on the polished wood. Ryan begins to thrust roughly, his hands coming to rest on either side of your head. You press your knees into his sides, urging him on, your back arching each time he draws out and slams back in. He drops his weight to his elbows, burying his mouth into your neck and nipping at the sensitive skin with his teeth.

Your body is already sensitive from his earlier ministrations and it’s like thousands of volts of electricity are shooting through your veins. Ryan’s hips are angled just perfectly so the tip of his thick length brushes your spot every time he thrusts into you.

You both are sweaty now and the room is filled with gasps, moans and pants.

“Fuck,” Ryan swears into your ear. “Fuck you feel so _good_!”

You groan. “Harder,” you beg, digging your nails into his shoulder blades. 

Ryan obliges immediately and the desk begins to rocks from the force of his movements. Whatever was on the surface before is falling off now, spilling onto the floor and rolling in various directions. One of his hands moves to grips your thigh tightly for leverage and you feel your orgasm approaching for the second time.

“I’m going to come,” you gasp.

You feel his smirk against your collarbone and then his hand leaves your thigh to move in between your bodies. His thumb is merciless against your overworked clit and you can’t help but scream as your orgasm comes a second time. A few more pumps of his hips and then he’s reaching his end to, spilling into your spasming body.

Once he’s completely spent, he collapses on top of you and you let your feet slide of the edge of your desk. Your legs drop limply on either side of him.

The room seems oddly quiet now.

Your heart is still racing and you try to take a few deep breaths to calm yourself. Ryan adjusts his body so all of his weight is not on you, but he doesn’t break contact.

“You’re going to be the death of me,” you say.

He gives a breathless laugh before leaning up for a kiss. You happily kiss back, your hands gently stroking the scratches you caused on his back. He slides his hand up your neck and to the back of your hand, holding you in place.

You both remain that way for a few moments, kissing gently as you come down from your high.

When he breaks the kiss, he pulls back slightly to look down at you. “I wasn’t completely honest before,” he says, causing you to narrow your eyes at him.

 “Explain,” you order.

“We’re not hitting a bank,” Ryan confesses. “Instead of one heist, we’re doing a series of small ones in a row. We wanted to keep our profile low after the last job.”

“What are you guys going to hit?” you ask.

“A couple of liquor stores,” Ryan answers. “Starting with Rob’s Liquor in Murrieta Heights.”

“That’s good enough,” you say, stretching slightly. You’re starting to ache but there is no way you’re complaining. You think for a moment before reaching over to your desk chair and into your bag. You pull out the Fake AH Crew file and place it on top of the bag. “Here’s the file the Boss gave me. Everything they have on you guys.”

Ryan looks at you with surprise. “You’re showing this to me?” he asks.

You give a small shrug. “Information for information, right? That’s what partners do? They share?”

Ryan nods, looking at you with something in his eye you can’t quite place. But he doesn’t reach for the file. Instead he kisses you, running his hand down your chest to softly cup your breast. You give a sigh of contentment at the intimate touch, kisses him back briefly before pulling away.

“Hand me my phone.”

Ryan drags himself off of you to reach your pants on the ground. He pulls your phone out of the pocket and hands it to you. You unlock the screen and look for Boss’s number, while Ryan returns to his place on top of you, placing soft kisses down your neck to your chest.

You put the phone to your ear, absentmindedly stroking Ryan’s hair as you listen to it ring. Ryan’s mouth reaches your breasts and you bite back a moan as his tongue circles your erect nipple. His thumb strokes the underside of your breast, making your head swim.

“Hello?” comes the Boss’s annoyed voice.

“I have information for you,” you tell him, grinning down at Ryan.


	4. Chapter 4

Your eyes flutter open and you give a small moan.

The only source of light is from the street lamps outside and it casts the room in an eerie orange glow. You stretch and blink away the sleep. Your body is aching but you know exactly why and you can’t help but grin. You look over next to you in bed to see Ryan. He’s still asleep, the bed sheet barely covering his lower half.

You’re so tempted to place kisses down his chest, all the way down to what that pesky blanket is covering.

But your body would probably hate you if you don’t give it a small break.

You noiselessly leave the warm bed, heading into your master bathroom. You make sure to close the door before turning on the light above the sink. The brightness blinds you for a second, but when you can see again, you take a few seconds to examine your reflection in the mirror.

He really did go to town on you.

Your shoulders and chest are decorated with small, purple love bites and your hair is a rat’s nest. You can barely run your hand through it. You take a moment to use the bathroom, before washing your hands and splashing cold water on your face. You run a comb through your hair to try to at least get the tangles out.

After you had gotten off the phone with Boss, you had dragged Ryan to the bedroom and rode him until you both passed out from exhaustion. You have no doubt the two of you will enjoy your partnership very much. Hell you’re already enjoying it. Just thinking about the last few hours sends waves of desire through you.

Your attempt to tame your hair is in vain and you give up. You turn off the light and slip back into the bedroom. Ryan hasn’t even moved. You watch the steady rise and fall of his chest for a moment, before quietly making your way into the hall. You close the bedroom door behind you and walk into the living room. Clothes and desk supplies litter the floor and you gently tip-toe through the mess. You see the light on your phone flashing green and you check your text messages.

It’s just Boss bugging you again, asking if you learned anything new.

You give a sigh of frustration. He’s never been this bad before and it’s pissing you off to no end. You don’t even bother replying before deleting it. “Whoops,” you mutter under your breath.

You notice a light coming from under a pile of clothes and you bend down to examine it. It’s Ryan’s cell and it looks like he also has a text. However, when you illuminate the screen, you see he has a lock on his phone just like you. Oh well.

You put his phone on the desk and gather the clothing strewn everywhere. When you’re draping his pants over the desk chair, you feel his wallet in his pocket. You briefly glance down the hall to confirm your bedroom door is still shut. You quickly remove the wallet and open it. You snap a picture of his ID with your phone before tucking the wallet away again. At least you have his address again. You also change the passcode on your phone, just in case he saw you enter it earlier.

Your stomach growls and you realize that you haven’t eaten in hours. You drop your phone next to his before going to the kitchen area. You flick on the light above the stove. It casts a soft glow that allows you to see, but doesn’t blind you. You open the refrigerator and frown as you try to decide what to eat. You hear your bedroom door open and you look up to see Ryan shuffling down the hall.

He’s completely naked just as you are, yawning as he runs a hand through his messy hair.

“Come back to bed,” he says, his voice thick with sleep.

You chuckle. “I will after I eat something, I’m starving,” you tell him.

He walks over to you and slides his arms around your waist from behind. “Now that you mention it, I could probably eat too,” he says.

You close the refrigerator and open the freezer. “Frozen pizza?” you ask.

He places a kiss on your shoulder as he steps away. “Sounds good to me.”

You pull the package out of the freezer and set about preheating the oven. Ryan walks over to the desk and grabs his boxers, slipping into them. You frown with disappointment, as you were enjoying the view very much. He grins at your expression. “Don’t worry, I’m sure they will come off later,” he says, raising his eyebrow at you.

“They better,” you tell him.

He throws you a wink before picking up his phone. You pretend to busy yourself with the pizza, but out of the corner of your eye you see him enter his passcode. It’s difficult to tell what the numbers are from you spot in the kitchen however.

While he checks his messages, you turn your attention to getting the pizza ready. After a few moments he puts his phone back on the desk before picking up his crew’s file and bringing it to the couch. He drops down heavily onto the piece of furniture and opens the folder. You wait until the oven is hot enough before carefully sliding the pizza onto the rack. Once you close the oven door, you grab two beers from the refrigerator and drop on the couch next to him.

“He got a lot of stuff without you,” Ryan comments, reaching for the beer you’ve just opened and handed to him.

“Yeah, I’m actually amazed,” you say, before taking a swig of beer. “Usually when he hands me a file, there’s barely anything in it. You guys must have really pissed him off.”

“Story of our lives,” Ryan says. He takes a long sip of beer before putting the bottle on the coffee table. “So, if you weren’t working with me, what would your next move be?”

“Curious?” you ask, playing with the beer bottle.

“I want to make sure any information I give you is something you’d actually find out on your own,” he says, his eyes narrowing as he turns his attention back to the file.

“That’s very considerate of you,” you tell him, studying his face.

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m a pretty considerate guy,” he says smirking over at you.

You chuckle and go to take another gulp of beer. “That you are.”

You sit in silence for awhile. He flips through the file and you watch him. Now he is beginning to look worried. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s just…” Ryan takes a moment to read something. “I need to talk to the guys about being more careful. There isn’t specific information in here about our home base, but they were close.”

Hearing that they have a home base is news to you, but you don’t react. A homebase is definitely something the Boss would want to know about. But your deal with Ryan is official now. If you’re going to be helping him stay one step ahead, you can’t just go telling the Boss they have a hideout. You forgot how exhausting being a double agent could be.

“Speaking of the crew,” you say putting your empty beer bottle on the floor. “Do I get to meet them at some point or are we keeping these transactions a secret for now?”

“The only one that knows about you is Geoff,” he says.

“Your leader?” you ask.

He chuckles. “Of sorts, yeah,” he says. “He tries to lead us but we rarely listen. He’s the one who makes sure we get paid. Also he doesn’t know we’re having sex. Just the fact that you’re gathering information.”

“I’m auditioning for him then?”

Ryan nods, closing the file and dropping it next to his beer. “So of course I need something to bring back to him,” he says.

“I showed you the file,” you point out.

“Yes you did,” Ryan says, pulling you so you’re straddling his lap. “But that’s hardly on the same level as the information I gave you.”

“Fair enough,” you concede. “The heists you’ve been pulling have all be in my boss’s territory, which is why he’s so pissed off.”

“I see,” Ryan says, his hands gently sliding up your thighs and to your hips. “Wasn’t even aware that people had ‘territories’ still.”

“Well, he does,” you say. “Or at least he thinks he does. It’s all very convoluted. He took over for the last leader of that ‘family’ or whatever they call themselves.”

Ryan nods. “Good to know,” he says. “What happened to the last leader?”

You smirk. “He didn’t pay me for any of the jobs I did,” you tell him. “It’s a shame that rival gang just happened to know where he was going to be for his vacation…”

Ryan raises his eyebrows at you in astonishment. “Well then,” he says. “Point taken. I’ll pass the information on your boss to Geoff and see if he knows anything about it. If these people are really pissed off about it, it’s possible he’s talked to them already and just didn’t say anything.”

The timer for the oven sounds and you reluctantly get off his lap. You carefully remove the pizza from the oven and place it on a rack to cool. While it does, you make your way back to the couch, where Ryan pulls you down to him.

His mouth massages yours skillfully and his hands move down to grip your backside.

You pull away from the kiss. “Do you ever stop?” you ask.

“Do you?” he asks grinning. “You were the one who pulled me into the bedroom. Don’t tell me you weren’t just thinking the same thing I am.” His mouth falls to your throat.

“What about our pizza?” you ask.

“Fuck the pizza,” Ryan says. He thrusts he clothed erection up into you and you instinctively grind down and let out a soft moan. “I want to be inside you again.”

You can’t help but groan at his words. You attack his mouth with yours, running your hand down his chest and into his boxers. He raises his hips to let you push them down. You take him into your hand and stroke him a few times until he’s completely stiff. He lifts you up slightly and you press the tip of his cock into your already moist entrance.

You both groan as you sink down onto him.

His tongue dances with yours as you begin to rise and fall onto his lap. You’re so overworked from before you’re already hypersensitive. Every time you take him back in your body twitches. You grip the back of the couch for leverage, setting a steady rhythm. He groans and lets his head fall back, swallowing thickly. It’s your turn to attack his throat and you do so greedily. His hands are gripping you tightly as you ride him.

You begin to move faster, rocking your hips just the right way every time you take him deep inside you. You kiss up his chin and press a few pecks on his open mouth.

“God damn it,” he swears. “Fucking...feels...amazing…”

You feel the blush creep across your cheeks again. Despite the number of times you two have done this today alone, it perplexes you that he can make you blush at all. He begins to direct your movements and you can tell he’s going to come. When he does he clutches you to his chest, pumping his hips wildly and giving you sloppy, open-mouthed kisses.

You’re still kissing when he delicately slides onto his side, pulling you with him until you're both laying on the couch, face-to-face. He carefully slides out of you and you wince at how sore you are. Your legs are tangled together and you grab the blanket hanging over the back, dragging it so covers both of you. Ryan stares at you with a slightly smile on his face, his hand lightly running up and down your side. Your head comes to rest on his other arm and he strokes your hair.

You feel your stomach flutter and you suddenly can’t help but worry.

Something must have changed in your expression because Ryan frowns. “What’s wrong?” he asks, his voice soft and sounding like he’s ready to fall back to sleep.

“This is just business, right?” you ask. When he gives you a curious look, you clarify. “You’re not thinking of getting feelings involved are you?”

He purses his lips for a moment, but you can’t read his expression. He seems to be studying you. “Would that be so bad?” he eventually asks.

“Well, not really,” you admit. You’re not opposed to the idea. But you’ve gone down that path before and it never ends well. “It may not be the best idea. But if this is going to work, we have to keep our feelings in check and make sure they don’t get in the way.”

“I agree,” he says. “But it’s hard not to develop a soft spot for the woman who makes my eyes roll back into my head.”

You chuckle. “I’m not asking you not to,” you tell him. “But I guess I can I see your point.”

His eyes sparkle with amusement. “You have a soft spot for a woman who makes your eyes roll back into your head too?”

You laugh. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” you joke.

He kisses you on the forehead before settling against the sofa. His eyes begin to drift close. You follow his lead and you’re both asleep on the couch within minutes.

The next time you open your eyes, it’s morning and you’re alone. You wince as you sit up, your limbs and joints cracking as you do. Everything from your waist down is sore. You’re definitely going to have a few days before you two go at it again. The blanket slips from your body as you look around.

“Ryan?” you call.

There’s no answer.

You look in the kitchen, but only see the cold, untouched pizza. You turn your attention to your desk and see that his clothes and phone aren’t there. The file is sitting on the coffee table where he left it last night. You’re not really surprised that he’s gone, but you still feel slightly disappointed.

_No feelings_ _,_ you remind yourself. _Just business. Try to think of it as just business._

You get off the couch and make your way to the shower. You have work to do.


	5. Chapter 5

One aspect of your job that you hate is the waiting part.

Despite what people think, getting useful information takes time and patience. You’ve always been good and waiting and listening. It’s one of the reasons why you got into this business. But just because you’re good at waiting, doesn’t mean you like it.

You’re currently sitting in your car, staking out the first store on the Fake AH Crew’s heist list. You hadn’t heard from Ryan in a few days and with the Boss breathing down your neck you weren’t going to put yourself on the line by waiting around for him. You had to get some kind of information to pass along, no matter how small or trivial it may be.

You hate stakeouts. They are boring and you rarely get anything that’s useful. But you have to do what you have to do.

So far you hadn’t seen any of the crew members.

However, you now know the owner’s schedule by heart. You also know which customers are regulars and which aren’t. You know when the shop opens and when it closes; which days it stays open later and which days it gets its deliveries. None of this you can really pass on to the Boss since it’s useless to him, but you still write it down for your own sake.

You pick up your coffee mug and choke down the last gulp of cold coffee. It’s gross but you do it out of boredom. You’re almost out of your snacks and you contemplate calling it a day and just heading home. Your phone begins to vibrate and you welcome the change, even if it’s the Boss. When you look at the screen, you’re surprised to see it’s not who you thought it was.

You answer the call. “You’re alive,” you say.

“Was there doubt?” Ryan asks.

“Well I haven’t heard from you in a few days,” you say, leaning back in your seat. “And after the night we had…I’m a little insulted.”

“It was not by choice, I assure you,” Ryan says. “Nice wig by the way.”

You always change your look when you’re on a stakeout. You change your car too. It’s safer that way. You frown and sit up, your eyes darting around the street. You don’t see him anywhere. “Where are you?” you ask.

There’s suddenly a knock on your passenger window and you whip your head around to see Ryan standing there waving. You hang up the phone and unlock the car door. Ryan put his own phone in his pocket before slipping into the seat next to you. It looks like he also is doing recon. He’s dressed in a three-piece suit and is wearing sunglasses, a newspaper tucked under his arm. While he looks like a proper businessman, in this particular neighborhood it probably wasn’t the best disguise to go with in your opinion. He kind of stands out.

You don’t know how you missed him. “Looking good,” you smirk.

He grins back at you and slides his sunglasses up so they rest on the top of his head. “I just got here a few minutes ago,” he tells you.

“You’re a little late on gathering intel,” you tell him. “If you’re planning to break in, shouldn’t you have been here days ago?”

“Got held up,” he says. “And we already did most of our recon.” You see him glance around the car at all of your food wrappers and trash. But he doesn’t say anything about it. “Wasn’t sure it was you at first. Decided calling you would be the best way to figure out.”

“How very astute,” you say, leaning back in your seat once more. You try to keep the annoyance out of your voice but you can tell you haven’t done a very good job. You don’t know why you’re so annoyed. Just because you have a partnership, doesn’t mean you have to speak to each other everyday. But several days without so much as a text message was enough to make anyone uneasy.

“You’re angry,” Ryan comments.

“I’m frustrated,” you correct him. You avoid his gaze as you scan the street. “We agree on a partnership, we spend an entire night fucking and then I don’t hear from you.” You dial your emotions back a bit, trying to remain in control of them. “I don’t appreciate being taken advantage of.”

“I did not take advantage of you,” Ryan says defensively. “After the information you gave me our crew had to make some changes. I wanted to call you. The days just got away from me I guess. Also you could have called me.”

You sigh and adjust your wig in an attempt to do something with your hands. “I guess,” you say.

You both fall into uncomfortable silence. You’re staring hard at the liquor store, trying to ignore the feeling of Ryan’s eyes on the back of your head. He’s right of course. You could have called him and see what the situation was. You don’t really know why you didn’t. You hope he doesn’t ask you because you don’t have an answer for him.

“How long have you been staking this place out?” he eventually asks.

“A few days,” you say.

“Anything good?” Ryan inquires. 

“Nothing special about this place really,” you say with a shrug. “Just seems like your average…” Your words are cut off when you suddenly see the Boss. You’ve never seen him out of his office and he looks so foreign and strange in such an everyday place. “Oh SHIT!” You immediately turn to look at Ryan. “Don’t look out the window. Just look at me.”

“What’s wrong?” Ryan asks, looking at you instead of the store.

“My boss is outside,” you tell him.

“Why?”

“I don’t know,” you admit. “Put your sunglasses on so he can’t see your eyes.” Ryan does as he’s told. “Now look over my shoulder. What is he doing?”

“I don’t know,” he says. “Which one is he?”

“The one in the grey suit.”

“The fat one?”

“Yeah.”

“He’s just talking to some guys,” Ryan says. “Now they’re going into the shop.”

Slowly you turn to look for yourself, just in time to see your Boss disappear into the liquor store. “Why is he here?” you ask, more to yourself than to Ryan.

Ryan shrugs. “You say this is his territory,” he says. “Maybe someone owes him money.”

You shake your head. “No,” you say. “Even if he did, he wouldn’t come himself. He has people for that.” You pause for a second, trying to gather your thoughts. “We need to get into that shop.”

“What are you thinking?” Ryan asks.

You frown, lost in your own head. You don’t say anything for a few moments, until Ryan calls your name. You turn to him. “Let’s get out of here, we can talk at my place.” Ryan nods and puts his seatbelt on as you turn on the car.

About an hour later you’re walking into your office apartment, yanking the hot and itchy wig off your head and throwing it onto the couch. Ryan locks the door behind him as you run your hands through your freed hair. 

“Ugh, much better,” you say, dropping your keys on the coffee table.  

“I agree,” Ryan says with a smile.

You don’t respond. Instead you move to your desk to try and find the information you’re thinking about. You unlock your file cabinet and riffle through the folders.

“Some insight into that head of yours would be nice,” Ryan says, taking off his sunglasses and undoing the knot of his tie. You still don’t answer. You pull out the file you were looking for and place it on your desk, wildly flipping through the contents. Ryan comes to stand next to you, picking up the notes and photos you discard. “Wait, is this stuff on this ‘Boss’ character?”

“It is,” you say. You grin as you pull the page of notes you were looking for. “And I think the liquor shop is storing something for him.” You show him the notes you took. It was back when you first started working for him. It was actually a transcript of a conversation you overhead before entering his office. “See here? He talked about storing something in one of their locations.”

“This could be anything and anywhere,” Ryan points out, taking the paper from you so he can read it properly.

“Look, just call it a hunch on my part,” you say. “I always go with my hunches.”

Ryan raises his eyebrow at you. “This doesn’t prove anything or give us much to go on,” he says.

“Which is why we need to get in there and look for ourselves,” you say.

“Okay,” Ryan says with a nod. He puts down the paper and reaches for his phone. “I’ll just call the crew.”

“What? Why?” you ask, putting your hand on his phone to stop him from dialing. “We can’t all break in. That’d be stupid.”

“You said ‘we’,” Ryan points out.

“I mean me and you,” you say. “Or better yet, I’ll just do it myself. Forget I said anything.” You turn to start gathering the pages from the file.

“Now wait,” Ryan says. “There’s no need to go in by yourself. If you really don’t want to get the others involved, fine.” He puts his phone back in his pocket.

You narrow your eyes at him suspiciously. “Really?” you ask. “Just like that?”

Ryan shrugs. “You know, I’m part of the crew on my own accord,” he says. “Geoff doesn’t force me to answer to him. I answer to him out of respect. I just figured the crew could give us some back up. But if you’d rather we go it alone, I’m good with that too.”

“It’s just, we don’t know anything yet,” you explain. “I don’t want to get them involved if it proves to be nothing. I’d rather waste my own time then their’s.”

Ryan nods. “Okay, I can get that,” he say, taking of his suit jacket. “What should our first move be?”

You run your hand through your messy hair. “I say we go in tonight and just look around,” you say. “I’ve watched the shop enough to know the schedule. There shouldn’t be anyone in there after two in the morning. We’ll go in and just check things out.”

He checks his watch. “Great so in, twelve hours,” he says. “Should give us more than enough time to prepare.”

“Not sure what the security system is like,” you admit. “We may have to just wing that part.”

Ryan shrugs. “Not a problem for me,” he says. “I’m good with security systems.”

“Good to know,” you say.

You both fall into silence again. You can feel him staring at you and you drag your eyes away from the Boss’s file to meet his gaze. He has a slight smile on his face. “I missed you,” he says.

You turn away so he doesn’t see your cheeks turning red. “You barely know me,” you tell him, grabbing a random piece of paper from the file and pretending to read it.

He comes over to stand in front of you and gently places his hands on the page you’re not really looking at. You look up at him. “I know enough,” he says. “I know I was sore for at least two days after the last time I saw you.”

You can’t help but grin cheekily and feel incredibly proud of yourself. “Well, I was too,” you admit.

He pulls you forward and gives you a soft kiss. You allow yourself to sigh quietly and kiss him back. When he pulls away, his fingers softly trail down your arms. “So what should we do while we wait for the shop to close?” he purrs.

“Prepare to break into it,” you tell him with a raise of your eyebrow.

Ryan waves a hand dismissively. “That’s not going to take twelve hours,” he says. “It’s a fucking liquor store.”

“I’m assuming you have something in mind,” you chuckle.

He pulls you towards him and wraps his arms around you. “What do you think?” he asks, leaning down to kiss you again.

You put a finger to his lips to stop him. “Information?” you remind him. “Business first.”

Ryan groans and lets you go. “I thought we agreed sex first,” he says.

“Last time was an exception,” you tell him, moving to sit in your desk chair. “Business before pleasure.”

Ryan sighs and moves to lean against your desk. “What do you want to know?” he asks.

“Did Geoff know anything about the Boss being after you?” you ask.

Ryan shook his head. “No,” he says. “Or if he did, he’s not telling me. He appreciates the information though. He wants to meet you.”

“That was fast,” you say. “What did you tell him?”

“I told him you hate your boss, which is true,” Ryan says. “And that you felt working with us would be better for you.”

“All true,” you say.

“I didn’t tell him your name,” Ryan tells you. “I think you should hold off meeting him for a little while.”

You frown. “Why?”

Ryan smirks. “Because I like keeping you all to myself,” he says.

You roll your eyes. “You still haven’t really given me anything useful,” you say.

“Just tell your boss that we seem to be planning something huge after the liquor stores,” Ryan says.

“Is that something that’s likely to happen?” you ask.

Ryan shrugs. “Very well could be,” he says.

“You know, most partners trust each other enough to give specifics,” you tell him, swirling from side to side in your desk chair.

“Most partners have known each other for more than two weeks,” Ryan says. “And I do trust you. I just can’t give you specifics because I don’t have them.”

You sigh and study Ryan for a moment, trying to determine if he’s lying or not. “Why didn’t you tell Geoff my name?” you ask.

“It’s not mine to tell,” he says.

“So what do you refer to me as?” you ask. “Your ‘source’ or something dumb like that?” Ryan’s cheeks suddenly tint red and he looks away. “Oh god, what is it?”

“Nothing bad,” he says. “I kind of came up with a codename.”

You grin. “Aww, a codename,” you say. “How adorable. Seriously, what year is this?”

“Hey, we use codenames are ourselves all the time,” Ryan says. “Well, aliases, but still the same thing.”

“So what codename did you assign me?” you ask.

“Fox.” You raise your eyebrow at him. “What? It was the first thing that came to mind.”

“‘Fox’ was the first thing that came to your mind when you thought of me?” you ask, getting out of your chair. “I’m actually flattered.” You stand between Ryan’s legs and slide your arms around his neck. He places his hands on your waist and you both lean in to kiss. It’s just a gentle press of lips to begin with, but soon deepens into something more.

When you pull away to breathe, Ryan’s hands are under your shirt. “Are we done working yet?” he asks, his fingers tracing the underside of your bra.

“I’d say so,” you say, reaching down to undo the button of his pants.


	6. Chapter 6

You’re waiting in your car for Ryan to show up. 

After spending the remainder of the day planning to break into the store, and rolling around with each other on your bed, Ryan had left to get ready for the break-in. You were set to go, drumming your fingers impatiently on the steering wheel as you wait. The store had been dark for some time. The owner had left hours ago and no one had been by since. At least not by the front. You can somewhat see the alley behind the store and there have been no car lights or any other signs that the store has been disturbed.

You look up and down the street and don’t see anything or anyone.

Sighing, you drive away from the shop to park a street away. It takes a few minutes, but when you’ve found a secluded alley, you park the car and get out. After you lock the door, you turn around to head in the direction of the shop and find yourself face-to-face with a skull.

“JESUS CHRIST!” you yell with a jump, pressing your hand against your chest. “Don’t fucking _do that_ _!_ ”

Ryan’s laugh is muffled behind the mask. “Sorry, I just had to,” he says.

“I beg to differ!” you say, hitting him in the chest and sliding your car key into your boot. You don’t have any pockets on you, having switched your jeans for a pair of black leggings. Your phone is also in your boot.

“Why do you wear that freaky thing?” you ask as you both make your way out of the alley where you parked and through a maze of sidewalks and sketchy dead ends.

“It’s terrifying,” Ryan says. “And I like it.”

You still don’t understand but drop the subject. If you could wear various wigs and whatnot for disguises, you suppose he can just have one mask. His mask was incredibly recognizable; you wonder if that has something to do with it. To each his own. “I’ve been waiting for almost forty-five minutes,” you tell him.

“You know for someone who doesn’t want emotions involved, you’re awfully moody,” Ryan says teasingly, slinging his arm around your shoulders.

You glare at him and push his arm off. “I said it would be a bad idea to have emotions involved, not that I was opposed to it,” you remind him. “And those two things don’t even go hand-in-hand. Even so, it’s rude to keep people waiting.”

“I’ll try to be better about that,” Ryan says. For some reason you actually believe him.

The two of you stop talking the closer you get to the store and you follow the alley that leads you to the back. Still there is no one around, nor is evidence that there has been in hours. You motion for Ryan to hang back as you sneak up to the back door of the shop. You carefully glance in the windows, but don’t see anything suspicious. Out of curiosity, you try the door knob. It’s locked, though you aren’t very surprised.

“I do security systems, not locked doors,” Ryan whispers to you, making you jump. You didn’t even hear him come closer.

You reached into the boot not holding your key and phone and pull out your lock picking tools. Lowering yourself onto your knees, you get to work unlocking the door. Ryan crosses his arms and leans against the wall, watching you work. “You’re good with your hands,” he comments.

You smirk up at him. Though you can’t see his face through the mask, his eyes are sparkling with amusement at his own comment.

“I thought you’d figured that out by now,” you say.

“I figured that out long ago,” he says. “You’re also good with your mouth.”

You roll your eyes. “Yeah, yeah,” you say. “Pleased with your comment?”

“Incredibly.”

You fall into silence. Ryan is watching you work, but it’s not distracting. You’ve unlocked doors under more stressful circumstances.

“I have to say, watching you break into this place is incredibly hot,” Ryan admits after a few minutes.

“Save it for later, sweetie,” you tell him, listening to the lock click as you turn it. You put your tools away and carefully open the door. No alarm sounds, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t one. You and Ryan slip into the store and close the door behind you. It’s dark, but you don’t dare use any source of light. You both wait for a second for your eyes to adjust before you move silently through the back room. You’re actually surprised at how quietly he can move.

You fell him tap your arm and you look over. He’s motioning towards a security system panel on the wall and you nod. He goes over and begins to toy with it. You take the time to move into the main area of the store. You frown. You haven’t seen a single security camera. Either the manager is a complete idiot or there are cameras, you just can’t see them. You don’t like either scenario.

Ryan is back at your side. “We’re good,” he whispers.

“Let me ask you something,” you say. “Do you see any cameras?”

Ryan looks around for a moment. “No…” he says. You can hear the frown in his voice. “But come on, let’s look around and get out of here.”

You both take different sides of the store and meet in the middle. You see nothing out of the ordinary. Everything looks like as it should in a liquor store. You take a few minutes to look behind the counter, but still see nothing.

“Anything?” Ryan asks when he comes over to you. You shake your head. “What now?”

“The owner must have a back office,” you say. “Let’s check there next. If we still don’t find anything, we’ll just go.” You’re a little disappointed. With Boss being here earlier, you were sure something was going on.

Ryan nods with agreement and follows you into the back. The office is a mess of paperwork and random boxes. You and Ryan try your best not to disturb too much as you pick your way around the mess. After rifling through the papers on the desk, you don’t see anything suspicious. Regardless, you take out your phone and snap pictures of as many documents as you can. There are so many paper that Ryan does the same in order to speed up the process.

“Let’s check the boxes in the back,” you suggest, but Ryan suddenly clamps his hand over your mouth. You look up at him with wide, questioning eyes, but he shakes his head and puts a finger to his mouth. You strain your ears to listen and at first you don’t hear anything. He gently removes his hand from your mouth.

Wait, yes you do hear something. Voices. You hear voices. But from where?

Panic begins to set in and you and Ryan hurriedly leave the office. The voices are getting louder, but you still can’t hear what they are saying exactly or where they are coming from. Ryan pushes you towards the back door as he goes to turn the security alarm back on. You don’t want to leave him, but you trust him to help himself and quickly slip out of the shop. You expect to see people in the back alley, but there aren’t any.

Then where the hell were the voices coming from?

You duck next to the dumpster, waiting nervously for Ryan to follow. It was only seconds but it felt like minutes until he’s stepping out of the shop, closing the door behind him. You see him check the knob to make sure it’s locked before he looks around for you. When he catches your eye, he waves you over.

Frowning, you walk back to him.

He doesn’t say anything, but peaks in through one of the back windows. You follow his lead. You can’t really make out much through the dirty windows. Your view is blocked by the many boxes stacked against that wall. However, after a few seconds of squinting your eyes, you can make out two figures in the shop.

“They didn’t come from the front door,” Ryan whispers in your ear.

“Then where the fuck did they come from?”

He shrugs but tugs on your arm. “Let’s get out of here.”

You agree and allow him to pull you away. You both break into a run as soon as you’re clear of the shop and it’s not until you reach your car that you allow yourself to breath properly. You slump against the car and try to catch your breath. Ryan does the same.

“You were right,” he says panting. “There is something up with that place. I barely got out of there in time. Whoever it was came from the office. There has to be a secret room or something.”

Had you lingered longer you would have been caught. The thought terrified you. “But it’s so small,” you say. “How is that possible?”

“Underground maybe,” Ryan says, unzipping his leather jacket. He grabs the top of his mask and yanks it off. A cold breeze sweeps by suddenly and ruffles his tousled hair. Ryan closes his eyes and leans his head back, letting out a soft sigh. He looks relieved to have the mask off.

You find yourself at a loss for words.

Black out make-up decorates his eyes, like a raccoon. Here in the dark, it makes him look scary, almost dangerous. It must have been hot under the mask because the make-up is smudged and running down his cheeks.

Seeing him like this, hot and disheveled, strokes that fire inside of you.

“What?” he asks when he notices you staring.

You don’t say anything. Instead you press yourself against him and pull him into a hungry kiss. You can tell he’s surprised as he doesn’t move at first, but eventually he relaxes against the car and slides his hands around your waist. You slip one hand into his hair, while the other clutches his leather jacket. You prod your tongue against his lips and he opens his mouth to let you in. Your hands clutch him tighter as his tongue moves against yours effortlessly. You can feel his erection beginning to strain against his jeans and you break the kiss.

“Get in the backseat,” you order, your voice husky. He doesn’t question you. He climbs into the car and you follow after him, slamming the door behind you.

There isn’t much room, but you straddle his waist and go in for another kiss. His kisses are just as hungry as yours and his hands fall to your thighs. You reach between both of you and undo his jeans. When he feels you reach into his pants he pulls his mouth away panting. “You really want me right now, don’t you?”

You groan in response, dragging your teeth against his jaw before nipping him playfully.

Ryan moans as you wrap your fingers around his hardening length, his hands moving under your shirt. When he feels that you aren’t wearing a bra, his hands immediately move to cup your breasts. Your lips find his again and you swallow his groan as you begin stroking him firmly. His hands gently knead your breasts for a few seconds before he drags his thumbs across your sensitive nipples.

You gasp and continue stroking him, picking up the pace.

He removes his hands from your shirt, but it’s only so he can reach down and push the waistband of your leggings down and over your hips. He briefly squeezes your backside as he pulls you against him. Your underwear is shoved down too and tangles with your leggings around your knees. It’s not enough to deter you however. You straddle his hips and pull his erection out of his jeans, only to take him into yourself.

You moan and your hands clutch his jacket as you take a moment to adjust.

Ryan’s hands are under your shirt again and his fingers are busy teasing your nipples. You lift yourself off his lap for a second before coming back down and taking him in again. His mouth is hot and greedy against yours and his hands leave your breasts once more so then can rest on your waist. As you move up and down on his lap, sparks shoot through your body, causing you to tremble. You let your lips drift away from his so you can breathe, burying your face in his neck and groaning.

His hands assist your hips and soon he’s taken control, directing you with strong, fluid movements.

You’re both meeting each other’s trusts, desperation beginning to take over. You don’t understand how this is possible. How you just can’t get enough of each other. You’re grown adults for goodness sake. And yet you’re constantly craving him. Not being able to touch him drove you absolutely insane.

He holds you against his lap, thrusting into you so deep you cry out.

The windows of the car are beginning to fog up and you speed up your movements. Ryan’s right there with you, his fingers digging into your hips. Your tongue snakes out to trail around the shell of his ear and you take his earlobe gently between your teeth. He grunts before he gasps. “I’m close…” he all but whispers.

“Touch me…” you hiss, seeking his mouth again. His hand moves in between you and his thumb rubs roughly against your clit. You whimper into his kiss. This time you finish together, hips moving frantically and mouths swallowing each other’s moans.

It takes a few moments for your body to stop shaking.

When it finally does, you pull back to study Ryan’s face. His eyes are closed as his breath comes out in soft pants. His make-up is running even more and you know you have some on your face. You can feel it now that you’re not distracted.

“You okay?” you chuckle before dragging your tongue across his neck to taste him.

He drags his eyes open and you pull away to meet his gaze. “Not that I’m complaining,” he says, his hands gently massaging the sore spots where his fingers dug into your skin. “But where did that come from?”

You grin. “I couldn’t help it,” you admit, gently lifting yourself off his lap. “You just looked so disheveled and…” You don’t even finish your thought. You just growl.

Ryan raises his eyebrow at you. “Was it the mask?” he smirks.

You laugh as you pull your underwear and leggings up. “A little bit,” you say. “Mostly it’s the whole look you have going on right now.” You gesture in his general direction.

Ryan gives you a smug grin and places his head behind his head. “I’m cool with that,” he says.

You carefully climb into the front seat and start the car. “Let’s get back to my place, see if we can see anything on these pictures.”

“It’s three in the morning,” Ryan says from the backseat. His pants are still around his knees. “Let’s just go to sleep and look at them later.”

You put the car into drive and peel out of the alley. “We’ll probably want to wash up before we do,” you tell him. “I’m sure I have make-up all over me just like you do.”

“If by wash up you mean touch each other in the shower, I’m game,” Ryan says. You hear the rustling of his jeans as he pulls them up.

You can’t help but laugh and shake your head at him.


	7. Chapter 7

You and Ryan fall into a routine. 

Every two or three days he contacts you for rendezvous. You both meet up at your office and exchange information. Sex comes after work. Or during. Or before. Actually it pretty much happens whenever you two feel like. Not that you’re complaining. Quite the opposite. You both brag about it, if only to each other.

However, all things aren’t as good as you and Ryan. For some reason, the Boss never seems to be pleased with the information you give him. You’re not entirely sure why.

Before you pass anything along, you try to confirm its legitimacy. If it’s not, you at least try to make sure there is some truth behind it so he’s not left with nothing. It doesn’t matter. His behavior becomes more and more icy towards you. The Boss’s attitude is worrisome.

In fact, when you see the Boss calling this time, you answer immediately.

“My office, thirty minutes.”

That’s all he says before hanging up. He’s never done that before. Part of you thinks you shouldn’t go. But you know you have no choice. You contemplate letting Ryan know about the meeting, but you decide against it. You’re a big girl. You can take care of your own problems.

You arrive at the Boss’s office in exactly thirty minutes. Immediately you know something is wrong when you’re escorted by two men you don’t recognize. Before you never had an escort. You were able to just stroll into the building without so much as a fuss. But not today.

He is standing when you enter, which is never a good sign. His back is to you and when his goons close the door, you’re on guard. “Sit,” he orders without turning around.

For once, you do as you’re told. “Why am I here?” you ask. Your voice sounds a little more confident than you feel.

It’s then that the Boss turns to you, and his face is a smooth mask of indifference. “You’re here because I’m dissatisfied,” he says.

“Alright, well that’s too bad,” you respond. You know you should watch your tone this time, but you can’t help yourself. Even though the situation is making you uneasy, you aren’t scared of him. He knows it.

“It is too bad,” the Boss agrees, sitting at his desk. His small black eyes are studying you carefully. “I don’t enjoy being displeased with my employees.”

You can’t help but sigh. “I am not-”

Your words are cut off when one of the men back hands you across the face, causing your head to snap to the side. You’re so stunned you barely feel the stinging in your cheek.

It doesn’t last long. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” you yell, glaring at Boss. But then another slap comes, harder this time, and white spots decorate your vision.

“I am reminding you just who you work for,” Boss says, his eyes narrowed dangerously.

“Well then consider our contract void!” You make a move to stand but the man who slapped you forces you back into your seat. You shrug his hands off your shoulder and clutch the armrests of you chair.

“That’s incredibly unfortunate,” Boss says. “However, given the circumstances I’m sure your crew will be pleased.”

“I don’t have a crew!” you spit, your hands holding onto the chair as if it’s your lifeline. “I’ve never had a crew! I work alone. Always have. You’re not the only person I’ve done jobs for. I’ve been around a lot longer than you have! And that’s because _I don’t work with_ _a crew_!”

“You have a partner,” Boss says, his voice shaking with contained rage as it rises several octaves. He reach into his desk and for a split second you’re scared he’s going to pull out a gun. But he doesn’t. He grabs a folder and opens it, grabbing the contents and dropping them in front of you.

“My god, could you be more cliche?” you mumble when you see the pile of photos.

The Boss slams his hand on the table as he rises to his feet. He grabs the photos and all but shoves them under your nose. “You’re fucking one of the crew members!” he snaps back, spit flying out of his mouth. “Is that cliche enough for you?”

You tear your eyes away from his to look at the photos. You will your hands to stop shaking as you take the pile from his grasp. The first one is from that first night. The first time you and Ryan had sex. You both are walking out of the alley, and there are a few photos of him helping you into the cab. There are several of him the next morning, entering your apartment. “So I have a fuck buddy? What does that have to do with anything?”

The Boss yanks the photos your grasp and shuffles through them before shoving them back into your hands. “Because he’s with the Fake AH Crew you dumb slut!”

The photo is from that night of the stakeout. The night you shoved Ryan into the backseat and had your way with him. A few are of you both walking from the liquor shop. He’s wearing his mask. It’s the last photo that makes your stomach sink and your heart drop.

The photo is you straddling his lap in the car, your mouth to his throat while his head is thrown back, his face clearly visible.

“Interesting, aren’t they?”

White hot anger flows through your veins and you turns your narrowed eyes onto to his. You hold up the picture of you and Ryan in the car. “This one’s my favorite. Mind if I have a copy?”

This time it’s the Boss who strikes you. Instead of an open palm however, you receive a punch. This one connects with your eye and sends you tumbling to the ground. The photos scatter all over the floor and you land hard on your wrist as you try to catch yourself.

The Boss steps away, but the two thugs take his place and begin kicking you.

Their feet are merciless, their thick leather shoes connecting painfully with every bit of you then can reach. You cover your head with your arms to try to protect it. You curl into a ball and do your best to anticipate their attacks, but they are relentless and just keep coming. The wind is knocked out of you and you’re sure you’ve cracked a few ribs.  

But you don’t make a sound. You don’t give him the satisfaction of hearing your scream or cry.

When they are done your whole body is wracked with pain.

“Get her up.”

You’re hoisted to your feet and your world spins dangerously. When it finally rights itself, you can barely see out of your left eye; it’s beginning to swell from the Boss’s punch. The man in question bends down to pick up one of the photos. You know exactly which one it is. He rolls it up and tucks it into your inner jacket pocket.

“Your services are no longer required.”

Blood has filled your mouth from where you bit your tongue to keep from crying out. You spit it in the Boss’s face. “You’ve just made the biggest fucking mistake of your increasingly short life,” you growl.

You’re practically dragged from the building, as you can’t walk. They dump you on the ground when you reach the parking lot and then you’re alone. Still the tears don’t come. You stay there for a few minutes, your warm cheek pressed against the cold concrete. When you finally feel like you can move your limbs, you carefully push yourself to your feet. Now limping, it takes you a long time to make it to your car.

As soon as you’re inside, you lock the doors. Your chest feels tight and your eyes sting like you’re about to cry. But you force yourself not to. Instead you pull up the hood of your jacket and slide your sunglasses on. You start the car, but then realize you have no where to go. There’s no way you’re going home. They know where you live. Who know what’s waiting for you there? You don’t dare go to your office. Something tells you they know where that is now too. It’s a shame. You really liked that place.

You reach into your jacket pocket and pull out your phone. The screen is cracked, but it still seems to work. You scroll through your photo gallery until you find the picture of Ryan’s license.

 _Let’s hope his address isn’t fake,_ you think.

Even though you don’t think you’re followed, you still backtrack and take a different route just to make sure.

An hour later, your body is trembling from the pain as you pull up outside of an apartment building. You park your car and take a few minutes to ease yourself out of the driver’s seat. As you slowly make your way to the front door, you pull your phone out of your pocket and call Ryan.

He pcks up on the second ring. “Sex buddy, at your service, m’lady.”

“Are you home?” The thought had just occurred to you that he might not be.

“Yes,” Ryan says. Hearing the grin in his voice makes you smile slightly. “But I can be at your place in about forty-five.”

“Don’t bother, I’m here.” You reach the door and try it. It’s locked.

“What?”

“Open the downstairs door,” you tell him.

There’s a pause before the door buzzes. “Third floor, all the way at the end,” Ryan says, then hangs up.

 _Of course,_ you think, heading to the elevator.

The walk down the hallway is incredibly painful. By the end of it you’re resting against the wall for support. You barely can lift your arm to knock.

Ryan answers, wearing the grin you heard over the phone. He leans on the door in a seductive stance. “You make house calls now?” he teases. “What a pleasant surprise. Come on in.”

You enter his apartment, as quickly as you can, your arms wrapped around yourself in a tight hug. You don’t want to take your sunglasses off even though it’s not bright anymore. If you do he’ll see your face. You don’t even know why you’re there to begin with. It just seemed like the right place to be.

Ryan turns to look at you, but his smile fades as soon as he sees your split lip. So much for him not noticing. “Are you okay?” He’s studying you very carefully. He knows something is wrong.

You don’t answer. Instead you push your hood back to reveal your bruised face. Ryan’s eyes widen and he carefully reaches out to remove your sunglasses. You squint your eyes as the light hits them, but your left eye is so swollen you can barely close it.

“Who fucking did this?” Ryan asks, grabbing you by your upper arms.

“Ow! Watch it!” you tell him, wringing yourself out his grasp.

He realizes his mistake and winces. “I’m sorry,” he says at once. “Here, sit.” He leads you into the living room, where a comfortable looking leather sofa sits. He carefully helps you out of your jacket. It hurts to lift your arms over your head so Ryan helps you take your shirt off as well.

A large angry looking bruise supports your hurt rib theory. By now more had formed on your torso and chest. As you lower yourself onto the couch, Ryan grabs his phone. “Geoff,” he says once the person on the other line answers. “You have to get over here quick. Fox is hurt bad.” He looks over at you worriedly. “Yeah, yeah, definitely bring him. She doesn’t look good.”

When he hangs up you scowl. “You’ve looked better too,” you say.

Ryan isn’t amused. He drags a chair over so he can sit in front of you. “It’s not funny,” he says. “You could have been killed.”

“He doesn’t have the stones,” you say. You gasp in pain when you stretch yourself along the couch. Every inch of your body feels like it’s burning.

“What the fuck happened?” Ryan asks.

You point to your discarded jacket. Ryan reaches down and snatches it off the floor. He turns it around and immediately notices the photo. He fumbles with it for a second, dropping the jacket once more before unrolling the image. His eyes widen, pure anger and hatred replacing the confusion. Clearly he is having no trouble putting two and two together.

“That fucking sick asshole!” he exclaims.

You see his hands clench into fists. “Hey, hey! Careful!” You take the photo back. “I want to frame that.”

“How are you so fucking calm?” Ryan asks, his voice shaking. “This isn’t something you should be joking about!”

You let your head fall back against the armrest. “This isn’t my first beat down.” you admit. “And they could've done a lot worse.”

Ryan leans forward and grabs your hand, making you wince again. “As long as we’re partners, no one is going to lay another fucking hand on you again,” he says, his blue eyes staring right into yours. “Do you understand?”

You’re touched by the concern and distress in his voice. You nod. “Yeah, okay.”

There is a knock on the door and Ryan leaves your side to answer it. You can’t hear what he says, but soon he’s leading two people into the room where you’re waiting. One you recognize as Geoff, the crew leader. The other is a shorter man who wasn’t in the file.

“Jesus fucking Christ,” Geoff says as soon as he sees you.

“I usually look prettier than this,” you assure him.

“Kerry, do whatever you can for her,” Geoff instructs to the stranger, as Ryan crosses his arms, clutching his elbows tightly.

It’s then that you notice Kerry is carrying a medical emergency kit and the sight makes you relieved. He comes over to your side and begins pulling things out of the bag.

“It was Boss,” you say to Geoff and Ryan.

“I thought you were working for him, why would he do this to you?” Geoff asks.

“He found out Ryan and I are working together,” you say, biting your lip to keep from crying out in pain as Kerry begins to examine your rib.

“How? Did he have you followed?” Geoff asks. “I thought you guys were being careful.”

You look at Ryan and nod towards the photograph. There was really no reason to keep secrets anymore. Ryan sighs and begrudgingly hands Geoff the picture.

Geoff’s eyebrows nearly disappear into his hairline. “This explains so fucking much,” he says. “No wonder you’ve been so disgustingly cheerful.”

You snicker and Ryan glares. “This is really not the time,” he says. “What’s our game plan here? What are we going to do?”

“I’ll tell you what we’re going to do,” Geoff says handing the picture back to Ryan. “We’re going to pay this ‘Boss’ character a little visit.”

“And then?” Ryan asks.

This time you answer. “We’re going to take everything from him,” you say, forcing yourself to sit up. “And then I’m going to kill him myself.”


	8. Chapter 8

It takes a long time for Kerry to examine you. 

You’re relieved to find your rib is not cracked as far as he can tell. He does think you bruised it and after cleaning all your cuts and scrapes, he gives you an ice pack for your rib and your eye. Ryan and Geoff stay in the room, but they are whispering to each other. You can’t make out what they are saying. You’re assuming it has to do with plans to get back at the Boss, but Kerry has you on some painkillers now and you’re starting to get drowsy.

When he finally finishes, you can barely keep your eyes open and your stomach is rumbling.

“How are you doing?” Ryan asks, coming to kneel by the couch as Kerry packs his medical kit.

“Hungry and tired and loopy,” you say, your head falling back onto the armrest.

“I’ll run out and grab you something,” Geoff offers. Kerry is busy scribbling on a pad of paper. After a minute he hands it to his boss. “I have to visit our pharmacist to get your prescription filled anyways.”

“Thanks, Geoff,” Ryan says graciously.

“Yeah, thanks,” you add.

“Don’t worry about it,” Geoff says, pulling his phone out of his pocket. “I’m going to call the guys and let them know what’s going on. Then I’ll call Dan and have him beef up security. Make sure she rests.”

Ryan nods. As you watch Geoff and Kerry leave, you turn to Ryan. “Guess I’m here for the night.”

“You’re here until Boss is taken care of,” Ryan tells you. You manage to raise an eyebrow at him. “He knows where you live. I’m sure he knows where your office is. There is no way you’re going back there.”

“I can’t just stay here with you,” you say. Realizing how that sounds, you hurry to explain yourself. “I mean, I don’t want to be any trouble.”

Ryan chuckles. “Too late for that,” he says. He has a point. “Let’s get to you into bed.” He carefully slides his arms under you and lifts you off the couch without even straining. The move jostles you unpleasantly and you wince. He gingerly carries you into the bedroom. You look appreciatively at the king-sized bed in the center. Ryan places you on the bed before carefully maneuvering the comforter out from under you. 

You’re so comfortable now, you practically melt into the mattress.

You’re a little more awake now that you’ve been moved and your stomach growls some more. “Geoff actually seems nice,” you comment. 

Ryan smiles. “Yeah, he’s pretty great,” he says. “He feels really bad about what happened.”

“Why?” you ask. “It wasn’t his fault. To be honest I probably should have kept my mouth shut. I’m sure that didn’t help.”

Ryan smirks. “I figured you talked back to him,” he says.

“You know me well, sir,” you say, leaning forward so Ryan can place another pillow behind your back.

Once he’s done that, he brings the blanket up and tucks it around you. “Do you want to talk about it?” he asks softly.

You really don’t. The memory of their boots coming towards you is still all too fresh and it makes your chest clench again, and your eyes sting. But this time, you can’t seem to hold the tears back. You try. You try so fucking hard but this time it doesn’t work. They slip silently down your cheeks and you turn your face away so he won’t see. Of course it’s too late.

He says your name. Not your dumb codename, but your real name. But you refuse to meet his gaze. Instead you remove the ice pack from your eye and turn it in your hands, pretending to try and find a cold spot. Ryan puts his hand over yours and that’s when you look at him.

“It’s okay,” he says softly. “You don’t always have to be strong.” He takes the ice pack from you and places it on the nightstand.

“Yeah I do,” you say, cursing how choked up you sound.

“You just got the shit kicked out of you,” Ryan says. “If you want to cry, I promise I won’t tell.” He gives you a soft smile and it breaks you.

The tears flow freely and you bury your face in your hands, your body shaking as you sob silently. Ryan sits on the bed next to you and wraps his arms around your trembling frame. You bury your face in his chest and let go. The memories of every kick come flooding back in a wave and you can’t contain them. You’re sobbing uncontrollably now. Ryan rubs your back gently, his face buried in your hair.

“We’ll get him,” he promises you.

You nod in agreement, trying to stop sobbing. It’s starting to hurt your chest and your bruised rib throbs uncomfortably. You pull away from Ryan to wipe your tears, but he cups your face in his hands and forces you to look at him. You avert your eyes. You can only imagine how you look, with your bruised face, swollen eye and tear stained cheeks.

Ryan’s lips are on yours and his gentle kiss makes you relax. He massages your mouth tenderly and when he pulls away you meet his gaze.

“He will pay,” he says adamantly. “And if you want to be the one to kill him, I’m not going to stand in your way.”

Something in his tone makes you frown. “But you think Geoff will?” you guess.

“He can try,” Ryan says. “Killing isn’t really our thing. But I think in this case, it’s the perfect solution.”

“He has to lose everything first,” you remind him. “His power, his money...everything.”

Ryan’s eyes glint mischievously. “I like the way you think,” he says. “But before we do that, you need to rest and heal.”

He is right. You’re exhausted and it seemed your sobbing has taken the last of your energy. You allow yourself to sink against the pillows and he adjusts the bedsheet around you.

“I’ll see where Geoff is with your food,” he says.

But you’re already drifting off to sleep.

\--

Hours later when you wake up, the room is dark save for a soft light coming from the hallway. As you try to sit up, Ryan’s tall frame fills the doorway.

“Hey,” he says in a quiet voice, walking to the bedside. “Was just coming to check on you.”

The painkillers haven’t worn off yet so you’re not in much pain. “What time is it?” you ask, your voice thick with sleep. Holding yourself up is too much effort and you sink back onto his soft pillows.

“Don’t worry about it,” Ryan says, kneeling down next to the bed so he can be eye level with you. “You never got to eat before. I still have the food Geoff brought. You should have some.”

You groan. “Too much effort.”

Ryan doesn’t look pleased. He sighs heavily. “I know, but if you don’t you’ll get sick the next time you take your meds. I’ll bring you something, okay?”

You’re in no position to argue with him so you just nod.

An hour and a chicken sandwich later you do feel better. You don’t have enough strength to get up however. It doesn’t matter though because it’s late at night anyway and there is no reason for you to move. Ryan climbs into bed next to you and you can’t help but snuggle into his embrace. His arm gently comes to rest on your hip. “Do you need more painkillers?” he asks.

“No, I’m okay,” you tell him.

“It just occured to me that we’re never just simply gone to sleep together,” Ryan says with a chuckle. “Usually we just pass out from exhaustion.”

You chuckle as well. “Very true,” you say. You think back to the handful of times you’ve shared a bed. It wasn’t a lie. Those times had only been when you both were too exhausted to move. Through your foggy brain you remember what it feels like to have him touch you and your body tingles. You arch your back slightly and press your backside into his crotch.

“Okay, that’s not very fair,” he says, scooting backwards slightly.

“Why not?” you ask over your shoulder, with a smile.

“Because you’re injured and we can’t do anything,” Ryan says.

“Who says?”

“I say,” Ryan says. “There’s no way we’re going to be up to our normal tricks when you’re like this.”

“Well, obviously we can’t do everything we usually do,” you say. “But that doesn’t mean we have to swear it off completely.”

Ryan makes a noise of disapproval. Or maybe annoyance? Either way you grin at his frustration. “Go to sleep,” he says. “We’re not going to fool around while you’re hopped up on painkillers.”

“You’re mean,” you say.

“And you’re loopy.”

“Only slightly,” you say adamantly, pressing yourself against him again. “Not enough to deter me.”

“Oh really?” Ryan asks, his hand tracing along your side. “Deter you from what?”

You carefully wiggle your hips, rubbing your backside against him, firmer this time. “My current objective.”

“I’m not going to let you strain yourself,” Ryan says, his hand sliding into your underwear. Kerry had removed your pants when he was examining you to make sure you hadn’t sustained injuries to your legs. “But I am perfectly capable of assisting you.”

“I can-”

“Relax and let me take care of you,” Ryan cuts in. He slides a finger tentatively between your legs and you sharply exhale. “But, if it’s too much. Say something. I’m not going to keep going if you’re in pain.”

His consideration makes you feel warm inside, like it always does. You don’t know what to call whatever it is you’re doing. In your heart you know it goes far beyond a mere physical partnership. But you try not to dwell on the subject. Instead you nod and spread your legs for him. His finger gently traces your inner thigh before it’s stroking along your slit again, this time making you instinctively tense.

He pauses for a second, removing his hand.

“Did they-?”

You turn to face him, wincing as the action makes your rib throb. “No, they didn’t touch me,” you assure him, realizing what’s going through his mind. “I protected what I could. It’s mainly why they only got my torso and chest.”

You see Ryan visibly relax and he leans forward to kiss you. He adjusts so he’s not leaning directly on his shoulder, allowing his left hand to snake down under the sheets this time. His finger continues to stroke you until he has you slick and warm. When he pulls away from the kiss, his lips still touch yours. “If they…” he pauses and you can tell he’s trying to collect himself. “If anyone, hurts you again…if anyone tries…I’ll put a bullet right between their eyes.”

The fierceness and raw danger in his voice actually scares you for a moment. But in your heart you know that it will never be directed towards you. “Well, Mr. Haywood,” you say. “It seems you may have a tiny bit of feelings involved.”

He chuckles and slowly slides his finger into you. You gasp and arch into him, your hand coming up to grab his muscled arm. “I dare you to tell me you haven’t,” he says in that low voice, his mouth tracing the words against your throat.

He knows you too well now. It would be impossible to lie.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” You feel his smirk and can’t help but have one of your own. “I hope you are pleased with yourself. You have completely ruined me for anyone else.”

Ryan’s finger is slowly sliding in and out of you and your thighs begin to tremble. When he teases a second into you, you groan this time, mashing your bottom lip between your teeth. “Good,” he says. “I’m glad to know no one else will make you feel like this.” He practically hisses the last word, dragging his thumb roughly over the small nub that makes you cry out.

He drags his mouth up your throat and then he’s kissing you again, his fingers working you so thoroughly you can’t stop moving. As time drags on his and his movements become more and more forceful, your hips move along with his pace and your thighs lock around his wrist to keep him from pulling away. That doesn’t seem like it’ll be an issue. You can barely breathe and find yourself panting into his kisses, his teeth nipping occasionally at your bottom lip.

Your head eventually drops to his shoulder, but his right hand comes up the back of your neck and he gently pulls your hair so you’re looking at him again. His blue eyes are filled with that dangerous passion he always seems to have and his thumb presses harder against you.

You’re done for.

When you come, moaning his name his mouth swallows the word, his fingers stroking that special spot inside of you until you’re too spent and tired to do more than slump against the pillows with a soft moan. Your vision eventually is cleared of the stars and you shift your thighs so they’re no longer clamped on his wrist. He carefully slides his fingers out of you, and puts his weight back on his shoulder. He seems too tired to hold himself up anymore.

The hand on the back of your neck stays there for a moment, his thumb tracing along the short baby hairs there. Eventually it slides along your jaw to draw you towards him in another kiss. This time when he pulls away, you speak.

“I hope you know the feeling is mutual,” you say in a soft voice, heavy with sleep and satisfaction. He looks at you curiously. “If anything happens to you, it’ll kill me.”

His smile is different this time. It’s not devious or cunning, or sly or impish. It’s a soft, genuine smile and makes your chest tighten and your heart skip a few beats. But he doesn’t say anything. For once, it doesn’t seem like he feels the need to. Instead he tugs the blanket up around you and pulls you forward. You bury your face in his chest, and within seconds you’re both asleep.


	9. Chapter 9

You spend the next couple of days resting in Ryan’s bed. 

You actually don’t see him much. By the time he slides in next to you, you’re drifting off to sleep and can barely manage a “Hello”. Voices come from the living room at various hours. Sometimes you recognize Ryan’s, other times it’s Geoff. But the ones you don’t know, you assume belong to the other crew members.

On day three, you finally feel better enough to drag yourself out of bed. After a long, hot shower, you wander into the living room.

The TV is on, but Ryan’s not there. Instead, a younger man with curly hair and glasses is sprawled across the sofa. He looks bored as he digs his hand into a bag of chips. He looks up when you enter. “Finally, she’s awake,” he says with a hint of a Jersey accent. “So you’re the chick Ryan’s been banging.”

You smirk. “Nice to meet you, Michael.”

Michael Jones gives you a small wave. “That douche really did a number on you,” he says, eyeing your bruises. They are still dark, but the edges are starting to turn yellow on some of them. Your eye is no longer swollen, but the area is purple and splotchy.

You make a noise of disgust at the memory and walk over to the couch. Michael sits up and moves to one side so you can sit. Your rib is still aching so you slowly lower yourself onto the soft cushions. “Where is Ryan?”

“Busy,” Michael says, digging into his chips again.

“Are you my babysitter?” you ask, leaning against the armrest and adjusting your body into a more comfortable position.

“Think of me as your bodyguard,” Michael says, gesturing with a chip. “It’s my turn to make sure you don’t try to do anything stupid, and to make sure stupid doesn’t try to do anything to you.”

“Your turn?”

“Yeah, you’ve been out of it for the past couple of days,” Michael says. “We’ve all taken turns staying around while Ryan and Geoff do their thing.”

The thought makes you smile slightly. You should have expected Ryan to make sure you weren’t left alone after what happened. And clearly he wasn’t going to sit back and let Geoff plan everything. Not in this case.

“Well, thanks then,” you say.

Michael offers you the bag of chips and you gladly share it with him.

“So what’s the plan?” you ask.

Michael shrugs, his eyes glued to the TV. “No clue,” he says. “We’re usually not brought in until more details are gathered and finalized.”

“Where’s Ryan now?”

Michael glances over at you. “You ask a lot of questions,” he comments. 

“Because I have them,” you tell him, grabbing some more chips. “And I want to be kept in the loop. Boss beat the shit out of me. If we’re getting back at him, I’m not going to sit back and let everyone else do the work.”

“I can respect that,” Michael says handing you the bag of chip. He hauls himself off the couch. “You need some actual food and your meds. I’ll get you something.”

“Thanks,” you say looking around. “By the way, you haven’t seen my cell anywhere have you?” Michael picks up a phone from the coffee table and tosses it to you. When you catch it you frown. “This isn’t mine.” This one doesn’t have a cracked screen and is in fact shiny and looks untouched.

“It is now,” Michael says. “Ryan got you a new one. Jack pointed out your old number is probably being monitored. We disabled the GPS and we’re keeping an eye on your phone number. The phone is in your jacket pocket if you want it for anything, but you should use this one for now.”

“How do I know this one is clean?” you can’t help but ask.

“Because that’s not how we work,” Michael tells you, turning towards the kitchen. “You should really learn to trust us.”

You don’t respond to his retreating back. Instead you unlock the screen of your new phone and immediately turn on the password protection. You look into your contacts and find all of the Fake AH Crew listed, including Kerry and the man Dan that Geoff mentioned. You send a text to Ryan:

_Hey, when are you coming back?_

It takes awhile for him to answer. You sit on the sofa, absentmindedly chewing on a chip as you stare at the TV. You’re not really watching it, you’re too busy lost in your own thoughts. Staying put is not something you particularly enjoy. You’re already finding yourself a bit antsy thinking about your home and office just laying empty. You have too many precious things to just leave. Your filing cabinet needs to be picked up, and all the contents of your closet would be nice. You’ve spent millions on clothes and disguises. There is no way you’re leaving that behind.

You jump slightly when your phone buzzes.

_Soon I hope. How are you?_

_Been better. When can I get my stuff from my apartments?_

When he doesn’t answer, you’re not surprised. Minutes begin to drag by and your phone remains still and silent.

“Alright,” Michael says coming into the living room with two plates. “I make a mean sandwich. I pretty much used everything Ryan had in his deli drawer.”

You grin and take the plate from him. Already you like Michael. And not just because he brought you food. You like his laid back demeanor and his overall attitude of ‘I don’t give a fuck’. He goes back into the kitchen to grab drinks and that’s when Ryan gets back to you.

_I’ll take care of it. Don’t worry._

You sigh and text back. _How goes things?_

Michael has returned with two large glasses of water and you both settle back to channel surf. “So Ryan didn’t really tell us what you actually do,” he says once you’ve found a movie to watch. “I mean, besides sleep with him.”

You roll your eyes as you finish the bite of sandwich you just took. “That just sort of happened,” you tell him. “But mostly I find information. Usually it doesn’t involve sex, but I made an exception for Ryan. And quite the exception it turned out to be.”

“I totally called it,” Michael says. “I knew Ryan was way too cheerful about bringing you on as a consultant. I told them that you were either hot or banging him or both.” He takes a bite of his sandwich.

This makes you laugh and you bat your eyelashes at Michael. “Are you telling me I’m hot?”

Still chewing, he holds up his left hand so you can see the wedding band around his ring finger. “I said no such thing. I’m a married man,” he says, his voice muffled by the food in his mouth. “But, Gavin does owe me 100 bucks.”

Your phone vibrates again and you check your text from Ryan.

_I need motivation not to kill anyone today._

You can’t help but chuckle to yourself as you type back. _I can’t fuck you if you’re in prison._

“See, have your phone not even ten minutes and you’re already texting your boo,” Michael snickers.

“My boo?” you ask. “Really?”

“Hey I don’t know what you guys call yourselves,” he says before taking another large bite of his sandwich.

“That makes two of us,” you tell him, biting into your sandwich as well. You’re not used to there actually being food at home. Usually you get take out or buy frozen food. You’ve eaten pretty well the last couple of days and it’s a nice change.

“You guys better not be sexting,” Michael says as your phone buzzes again. “Wait until you’re alone to do that shit.”

“Calm your tits,” you say. “I’m just seeing where we are on the Boss.”

“You’re wasting your time then,” Michael says. “He’s not going to tell you anything. He and Geoff are always tight-lipped about this stuff.”

_…good point. You better be awake when I come home._

The text sends a shiver of anticipation through you and you can’t keep the grin off your face. _Can’t wait._

“Aww, you’re smiling,” Michael teases.

You put your phone away and shoot him a mock glare. “Shut up.”

The rest of the day passes fairly slow. You and Michael hang out on the couch for most of it. You find yourself getting sleepy towards the afternoon, but you don’t want to go back to bed because you know you’ll sleep too much. Instead Michael moves to the armchair in the corner so you can stretch out on the couch. You’re dozing off when there’s a knock on the door and Michael gets up.

He doesn’t seem worried or even on guard. In fact he opens the door without looking or asking who it is.

You find this a little troubling, but you’re too sleepy to ask him about it. It seems like it’s time for Michael to head out, as Ray takes his place. Ray sees that you’re dozing, so he is silent for most of the time.

You make idle chit chat, but soon you’re closing your eyes and falling asleep.

You awaken hours later to a gentle hand on your shoulder. You drag your eyes open and the first thing you notice is that Ray is gone. You look up and smile at Ryan. “Hey.”

He smiles back. “Hey yourself,” he says. “How are you feeling?”

“Better,” you tell him, sitting up and stretching. He sits next to you on the couch with a heavy sigh. He looks exhausted. “Rough day?”

He makes a grunt of acknowledgement before letting his head fall onto the back of the sofa. “Sometimes I hate working with others,” he says. “‘No we should do it this way’, ‘No, how about this way?’.” He makes a noise of disgust and looks over at you. “Your eye looks better.”

You gingerly touch the area and it barely stings when you do. “Yeah, my rib is better too,” you tell him. “If I ask what you guys are actually working on will you even tell me?”

“Of course.”

You raise your eyebrow at him in disbelief. “Alright,” you say. “What’s the plan?”

“Right now there really isn’t much of one,” Ryan admits. “It’s mostly been me and Geoff brainstorming ideas. He really wants us to meet Boss face to face to try to hash this out civilly.”

Your eyebrows shoot up. “Civilly?” you ask. “He had me beaten!”

“Oh we are aware,” Ryan says. “We haven’t forgotten. It’s just a ruse. We really just need to get in to scope the place out. We’ll be under the pretense of a truce.”

You relax a little. “Oh, okay. I’m good with the double-cross,” you say. “But I’m coming with you.”

“I don’t think-”

“No,” you cut him off. “I don’t care. I’m going. I want him to know just who he’s crossed. I’m not going to just hide in the fucking shadows. I’m not some damsel in distress that needs a group of guys to fight her battles for her. I want him to see my face and know I’m not fucking scared of him. I’m going to be right there next to you in my heels and tight leather skirt, with a gun in my hand, looking hot as fuck.” Your blood is beginning to boil.

“You’re getting really worked up,” Ryan comments, resting his elbows on his knees.

“Fuck yeah I am,” you say. “The sooner I take him out, the sooner I make good on my threat.”

“You threatened him?”

“Well, I told him he was ‘making the biggest mistake of his increasingly short life’,” you quote.

“Of course you did,” Ryan says with a grin. “What do you supposed we do first?”

“After the fake truce?” Ryan nods. “He’s not going to agree to whatever Geoff proposes. There’s no way. So, I say we hit every shop, business, casino, hotel and bank under his control. I have a list. We tick them off one by one. No order on the list. No specific day of the week. No way for him to know which one we’ll hit next.”

“You want us to clean them out, don’t you?” Ryan asks. He looks impressed.

You grin, your eyes gleaming with mischief. “Everything. We take everything.”  

Ryan gives a small, strangled groan and pulls you into a kiss. His mouth is hungry against yours and you kiss back just as enthusiastically. “God you’re sexy as hell right now,” he mumbles when he pulls back to catch his breath.

“If me talking about robbing some guy of all his money turns you on that we need to have a serious chat,” you chuckle.

“What can I say?” Ryan says, standing and pulling you with him. “I’m a bad, bad, man.”

“Mmm, that you are,” you agree, throwing your arms around your neck. “But that’s just fine. I’m a pretty bad girl myself.”

“Fuck yeah you are.” He practically crushes you against his body and then you’re kissing again and he’s leading you into the bedroom. Articles of clothing are stripped off and tossed to the side. You’re a little hesitant when you realize he can now see your bruised body in the light of day, and you begin to shrink away a little from his touch, but he is having none of it.

He holds you tighter against himself so you can feel his erection pressing into your thigh. You push his boxers down while his hands are already busy ridding you of your underwear. He steps away, but it’s only to lead you to the bed and despite his assertiveness before, his hands are gentle when they help you onto the mattress.

When he lays his body over yours, he’s careful not to put his weight on you. His mouth is busy tasting yours, but even still his hands are mindful of your pain. One hand moves down the bed and in between the both of you as he takes hold of himself.

Not wanting to just lay back and let him do all the work, you push his hand out of the way and wrap your fingers around his length, tugging and squeezing him the way you know he likes. The way that makes him grunt and groan and swear under his breath. The way that makes him stiffen even more in your hand.

His hands are on either side of you now and he lifts himself slightly so you can see what you’re doing.

You never get tired of this sight.

Of his bright eyes and red cheeks. Of his slightly open mouth panting as his tongue sneaks out to swipe across his pink lips. Of your hand stroking his pulsing manhood. You can’t stand the idea of not kissing him so you lean up and capture those lips with yours. Your hand guides his swollen member to your entrance and you take him in slowly.

When you pull your hand away he surges his hips forward and buries himself into you with one deep trust. You throw your head back and gasp as he begins to move, and his mouth drops to your throat, greedily sucking on the skin there.

Your hips meet his on every thrust. You wrap your legs around his waist and pull him in each time you think he’s going to pull out. He never does. But he likes to tease you to make you think he will. With every thrust of his hips, every swipe of his tongue, you’re getting closer and closer to unraveling.

You’re sweating now.

Your hands were gripping his arms but they slide up his back and into his hair. You yank his head back so his eyes meet yours before you attack his mouth in a hard kiss.

You can’t even cry out when you come.

You cling to him tightly as he thrusts wildly, reaching his peak with a soft gasp followed by a guttural moan.

His hips slow down and stop moving, but he stays hovering over you, his forehead resting against yours. You’re already staring at him when he drags his eyes open to meet your gaze.

“I think I’m going to enjoy being roommates,” he says with a chuckle.

You let your legs drop to the bed and your hand pushes the sweaty hair out of his face. “I really don’t know why we didn’t think of this sooner,” you say with a smirk. “It’s really a great solution to our problem.”

“I wasn’t aware that we had a problem,” Ryan says as he slides into his side next to you in bed, pulling the blanket up to drape across his hip.

“It’s a big one,” you say with mock seriousness, turning to face him.

“Oh really?” he asks with a raised eyebrow. “Enlighten me.”

“We are completely _insatiable_ ,” you purr, scooting forward so your lips are brushing his.

He grins and leans in to kiss you. “I don’t see that as a problem,” he whispers. “I see it as a perk.”

As he closes the distance between you, you can’t help but agree with him.


	10. Chapter 10

When you awake the next morning, Ryan is still in bed with you. This is a surprise as he’s been gone every morning since you got to his apartment. The sun hasn’t risen yet and the room is filled with the soft light that only comes from the early morning. 

You roll over to find his eyes closed and his chest slowly rising and falling. You take the time to admire him. He looks almost innocent this way. You know you’re one of the rare people to be so close to him and it makes you smile.

There is no question that he cares for you. Not after the way he reacted when you were hurt, and how he’s been taking care of you. Just when you think you have him figured out, something new comes up.

Because you can’t help it, you think about your own feelings towards him. You weren’t lying when you said if anything happens to him you’d die. Okay, maybe not die. But it would not be pretty. You try not to think about what the future might hold, because in this line of work the future is hazy at best.

“I can feel you staring at me,” Ryan mumbles sleepily.

You chuckle softly. “Can’t help it,” you say. “You’re incredibly handsome.”

Eyes still closed, Ryan smirks and reaches across the bed for you. You move into his arms and allow him to pull you against his chest. You don’t realize you are cold until you feel how warm he is. He shivers slightly when your chilly feet tangle with his warm ones. “Why are you so cold?”

“Maybe because you stole the blankets,” you tell him.

He holds you in a tighter embrace and runs his hands up and down your arms to try and warm then. “Just kick me next time,” he says. His face is buried in your hair and you can’t help the lazy smile that crosses your face.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” you say. You’ve been having more and more moments like this. Not sexual ones. Just, intimate ones. Moments you had forgotten actually existed between two people who genuinely cared about one another.

“How are you feeling?”

He always asks you are you’re feeling. “Warm, comfortable, slightly horny, but mostly sleepy,” you say.

Ryan chuckles this time. “We must be really in-sync because I feel the same,” he says.

You fall silent for a bit. Neither of you really wants to move, nor do you need to. You close your eyes and drift in and out of consciousness, while the slow rise and fall of Ryan’s chest shows you that he does the same. The peaceful rest does not last however.

You come back to reality with the annoying vibration of Ryan’s phone.

Groaning, Ryan rolls towards the nightstand and gropes around for the device. You drape yourself across his chest with a large yawn. When Ryan finally grabs the phone, he squints at the screen and frowns. “What’s wrong?” he asks, as way of greeting the caller.

You can’t really hear the words, but you recognize one of the voices of the crew. It’s not Geoff, Ray or Michael. It’s not British, so it’s not Gavin. It must be Jack.

Ryan relaxes against the bed again the longer Jack talks. You assume he’s not calling with bad news so you relax as well. “So, there wasn’t any trouble?” Ryan asks, absentmindedly brushing his stubbly chin against your forehead. You run your fingers through the soft hair on his chest before letting your hand wander downward.

Ryan is too focused on the phone call to really pay much attention at first. “Okay, did you get everything?” he asks. Just then you run your hand over his morning erection and smirk up at him. He matches your smirk with one of his own and raises an eyebrow at you.

“What about the other location?” he asks as your hand continues to ghost over him. You see him bite back a moan when your fingers eventually curl around his cock. You are wide awake now and wonder how much self-control he has. He’s certainly keeping his composure on the phone, despite the fact that you’re stroking him firmly now.

“Well just pack it all up in the truck and bring it here. There’s no way it’s going anywhere else. We have plenty of space,” he says.

You let go of his cock to straddle his waist, grinning impishly at him.

The hand that’s not holding the cellphone goes behind his head and he looks at you with a mixture of amusement and curiosity. He wants to see just what you’re going to do. You lean down and place a few kisses on his chest before moving down the bed, shoving away the comforter as you do. You both are still naked from the night before, which makes your movements easier. His tone on the phone is completely calm and neutral.

When you take the tip of his cock between your lips, he purses his lips together tightly and moves the mouthpiece of the phone away to keep Jack from hearing the small grunt that escapes. You take as much of him into your mouth as you can and catch his eye, winking. He gives you a playful glare and a small shake of the head before he returns to his phone call.

“Yeah, yeah, I agree,” he says. He sounds a little strained this time, and the hand behind his head comes down to stroke your hair.

You drag your mouth up and down his length, sucking softly as your hand follows your mouth with a firm stroke.

“Yeah, okay, well we’ll talk later,” Ryan says. He clearly is trying to rush Jack off the phone, but it doesn’t seem to be working. He’s losing focus now and you smirk around his cock. “Because you woke me up and I want to get back to sleep.”

He makes an impatient noise and mouths ‘Fuck’ when Jack keeps talking. “Yup, yup…she’s doing fine,” he says, grinning down at you. “But we’ll talk later. Alright, yup okay, bye Jack.”

He presses the end button and drops the phone back onto the end table. “I was wrong before when I said you were mean,” he says, his words dissolving into a half-moan, half-grunt. “You’re positively evil.”

You chuckle around his manhood and the action makes his hips jerk slightly. You pull your mouth off of him and place several kisses along his inner thigh. “You’re one to talk,” you say. “How many times did you do this to me when I was the one on the phone with Boss?”

Ryan runs his hands through your hair before moving to take you gently by the shoulders. “Fair enough,” he says, pulling you so you’re straddling his waist again.

You take his cock in your hand and slowly slide onto him.

Ryan groans loudly this time, his hands falling to your thighs. “So what was that about?” you asks, slowly rising and falling on his lap.

“Jack hired some guys to get your stuff,” he says. He groans when you grind down against him.

“Great,” You’re starting to become a little breathless now. “I’ll feel better when I know that it’s safe.”

Ryan nods in agreement, but doesn’t respond verbally. Instead he sits up and wraps his arms around you, pulling you into a deep kiss. You get the hint and forget about the phone call. Instead you focus on the feeling of his hands stroking your skin and his tongue petting yours, while he thrusts up into you. He fall back onto the mattress, bringing you with him. His hips take over most of the movements, but you still match his thrusts with your hips, your head spinning from a mixture of his kisses and his cock.

He’s turning suddenly and you’re on your back now, he muscled frame looming over you as he continues to pump in and out of your quivering body. His pace is slow and steady, and for once you don’t mind. You don’t want it to end. Neither of you has anywhere to be. You could lay in bed all morning this way if he wanted you to.

When your orgasm eventually comes some time later, you throw your head back and moan while he kisses your collarbone, grunting at his own release. But through the haze of lust, passion and release, you sense something is wrong. No, that’s not the right word. Not wrong. Different.

Something has shifted.

You didn’t notice it before, but now that you’re sated and curled up with him again, you realize that particular session was very different from the others. It wasn’t just slower. It was also gentler. Almost like…

Ryan’s phone rings again and he gives a groan of frustration. “Just leave me alone,” he says, glaring accusingly at the the device.

“Ignore it,” you suggest, snuggling into his side once more. You’re ready to go back to sleep for a few more hours.

“I think I will,” Ryan agrees, wrapping his arms around you. You both get comfortable under the blankets. However, Ryan’s phone goes off again. And then a third time.

He looks worried when he reaches for it. “Geoff, what’s-” but Geoff quickly cut him off and is talking rapidly. A heavy feeling settles in the pit of your stomach and you sit up while Ryan sits on the edge of the bed. “I’ll be right there.”

You’re already pulling your underwear on by the time Ryan puts the phone down. “What’s going on?” you ask, scouring the floor for your bra.

“Trouble at one of our warehouses,” Ryan explains, hastily pulling a shirt out of his closet. He already has his underwear on. You toss him his jeans, which he catches easily. “The alarm was tripped a few minutes ago. Geoff thinks it’s the Boss’s men.”

“I’m coming with,” you say, pulling your own pants up.

“I wouldn’t stop you even if I could,” Ryan says buttoning his jeans. He reaches into the nightstand and pulls out a pistol. While you pull your shirt on, he checks the clip to make sure it’s full before slipping the weapon in the back of his pants. He doesn’t offer you a weapon and you breathe a sigh of relief, as you want to avoid having a gun as much as possible. You’re not opposed to them, you just don’t like using them yourself. Unless the moment calls for it. Like when you’re eventually face-to-face with Boss for example.

Minutes later you're fidgeting anxiously in the passenger seat of Ryan’s car, biting your nails. Ryan’s jaw is clenched tight as he dangerously weaves in and out of traffic. The closer you get to the docks, the more your stomach churns. “I don’t like this,” you say, tapping your foot nervously.

“Neither do I,” Ryan says. “This has trap all over it.”

“For me?” you ask worriedly.

Ryan glances at you out of the corner of his eye and reaches over to take your hand. “Let’s hope not,” he says.

You let out a shaky breath. Ryan let’s go of your hand as you pull up to the dock. He opens the glove compartment and pulls out his mask. There’s another pistol inside, and you don’t bother to ask. You just take it and check the clip, like he did with his weapon. Ryan pulls his mask on over his head. Silently you both get out of the car and make your way to the warehouses. One of Ryan’s hands is behind his back and you know he’s gripping his gun, while the other hand holds yours tightly.

Your pistol is hidden in your coat pocket, but your free hand is clutching the handle tightly.

When you reach the warehouse back door, Ryan motions for you to cover him so he can open it. You draw your gun and nod. The door opens noiselessly and you both silently enter.

It looks like there’s a standoff.

Geoff, Michael and Gavin are facing down several of the Boss’s men. The loading doors are open and it’s clear that it’s just the five men with no other backup. With you and Ryan, his crew is no longer outnumbered at least, but there are way too many guns for your liking.

You both are spotted immediately, though you aren’t trying to hide. “And there she is,” one of the men says. You instantly recognize him as the one who was the first to strike you. He was the one who seemed to take the most pleasure in beating you. It takes all your willpower not to pull the trigger. Not when five guns are trained on Ryan’s crew members, who look to be unarmed. You and Ryan slowly approach the group.

Geoff glances at you and you can tell he’s pissed you’re there.

“Look,” he says. “As I was saying, call your Boss. I think he and I have a lot to discuss. I don’t appreciate my crew and merchandise being threatened.”

“Oh look, she came with her boy toy,” the man says, ignoring Geoff and eyeing Ryan.

“Who just happens to be a trigger-happy, trained killer with a short temper and loose morals,” Michael says. “So in hindsight, you really should back the fuck up before he ends his murder break.”

You raise an eyebrow and glance over at Ryan, but he’s not staring at you. His eyes are trained on the main man. With that mask he looks terrifying. His hands are steady however and there is a dangerous look in his eye that forces you to look away.

“Look, leave them out of this,” you say, lowering your gun and taking a few steps towards Geoff. “Your Boss is pissed at me. They have nothing to do with this.”

“Well, actually they do,” the man says. “They’ve been hitting his territory, now they have his employee. You can see why Boss takes this personally.”

“If I recall I voided our contract when you slapped me,” you say. “And he dismissed me after you and your friend beat me.”

You don’t take your eyes off the men, but you can tell the mood has suddenly changed. Ryan’s crew are processing the information that this man was responsible for what happened to you, and you can feel the anger radiating off them in waves.

“Your Boss can have a beef with us if he wants,” Geoff says in a low, dangerous tone. “But the second you beat this woman is the second we officially became involved. Tell your Boss to set up a meeting with us. We are more than willing to talk.”

“Or things will only get worse for his businesses,” Ryan speaks up, coming to stand on your other side.

“We’ll pass along the message,” the man says. “But we’ll be taking this merchandise back with us.”

You hear several rapid clicks and you suddenly realize Geoff, Michael and Gavin have all pulled out guns. “You leave the merchandise and this place,” Geoff orders. “We don’t want any bloodshed. This doesn’t have to have a bad ending.”

“We both know that’s not true,” the man says. He lowers his gun. “But it doesn’t have to be today. Those aren’t my orders.”

The Fake AH Crew doesn’t lower their weapons. The Boss’s men begin to back up and you allow yourself to exhale slowly. Until you see the man who beat you raise his gun again. Suddenly you feel yourself shoved to the side and a loud shot rings out. Your pistol flies out of your hand and goes spinning across the floor. Everything seems to happen all at once. Geoff, Michael and Gavin dive behind crates, firing wildly at the Boss’s men and Ryan drops heavily to the ground next to you. As he goes down, his head bounces off the concrete. Blood is pouring from his shoulder and you realize with a start that he’s been shot.

“NO!” you scream. “No, no, no, no…” You throw yourself across his chest to shield him from the swarm of bullets flying over your heads. You press your hand to the wound to try to put pressure on it. Ryan is winded and barely conscious. He must have hit his head harder than you thought. His eyes are fluttering and you can hear him gasping for breath under the mask. You pull the bottom of it up to give him air.

When the bullets stop, you look up and notice three of the Boss’s men are on the ground. Geoff, Michael and Gavin are fine and are rushing towards you as the two other men flee. They were clearly not prepared for an attack. The main man acted alone.

“Ryan, Ryan!” you say over and over again as you try to get him to keep his eyes open. He’s losing a lot of blood however. He tries to say something, but a low, pain filled moan escapes instead. He goes limp. “Don’t you dare die on me! Listen you little shit, I love you and if you die on me I will burn this city to the fucking ground! RYAN!”

Michael is pulling you away from Ryan’s body but you’re kicking and fighting him tooth and nail. “We need to get him to Kerry!” Michael tries to tell you. But you’re not listening. His arms around you are like a vice and you watch as Gavin does what he can to stop the blood, while Geoff is screaming on the phone for Kerry to be ready for them.

“Stabilize him and then get the car,” he snaps at Gavin when he hangs up.

Michael lets you go and you stumble away, sobbing and covered in blood. You try to wipe the blood on your coat, but your hands are doused in it. Gavin runs out of the building to go get the car. You hear a groan across the room and you notice one of the men is still moving. Fury blinds your vision and you march across the warehouse, picking up your pistol without missing a step.

“Fox? FOX! Michael! MICHAEL, STOP HER!” You ignore Geoff’s voice as you raise the gun. The man on the ground is the one who beat you and he’s still very much alive. You point the pistol at him when his terrified eyes meet yours. Good.

But Michael is fast and his arms are back around you again. “Let me go!” you scream, but he yanks the gun out of your hand. It clatters to the ground and Michael kicks it behind him, away from you and the man’s reach.

“Stop! STOP!” Michael bellows. “We need him alive! We can get information out of him if he’s alive! We can’t if he’s dead!”

“He shot Ryan!” you say, tears streaming down your face again. “He tried to shoot me! He _beat_ me!”

“I know! I know! But Ryan will be fine,” Michael assures you. “It’s a clean shot. Nothing important was hit. We just need to get him to Kerry. He’ll live, Fox! Calm down!”

There’s the sound of screeching tires and Gavin is pulling into the warehouse. “The men are gone,” he announces through the open window, putting the car in park and getting out. Geoff opens the back door and you wrench yourself out of Michael’s grasp. You don’t spare the man on the ground a backwards glance as you walk back to where Geoff and Gavin are loading Ryan into the backseat. “I’m riding with you,” you tell Gavin, getting into the back with Ryan. You cushion his head in your lap with your coat and pull off his mask. He looks deadly pale. He’s passed out, but his chest is still rising and falling evenly. The makeshift bandage Gavin made seems to be doing its job.

“Fox, you did the right thing not killing that man,” Geoff says softly as he goes to close the door.

You ignore him and glance up as Gavin climbs into the driver’s seat. “Just go,” you order. At this point you don’t even know which one you’re talking to.

Geoff gives a small sigh and slams the door. Without a word, Gavin puts the car into drive and speeds off.


	11. Chapter 11

Gavin pulls up outside of the apartment complex and a strong looking young man comes running out with Kerry. You and Gavin get out of the car and meet them. 

“We need to get him inside,” Gavin tells them. “Dan, get his upper body, I’ll get his feet.”

Dan nods and does as he’s told.

“What the fuck happened?” Kerry asks as Gavin and Dan hoist Ryan out of the car.

You’re so angry and scared, you’re too sick to your stomach to answer. Instead you turn from Kerry and run ahead to get the door for Dan and Gavin. You expect them to take the elevator up to Ryan’s apartment, but instead they hurry him through the hallway on the first floor, to one of the apartments that’s already open. You realize with a start that it’s actually not an apartment, but a makeshift hospital room. Kerry runs to the large sink in the corner and begins scrubbing his hands as Gavin and Dan lift Ryan onto the hospital bed.

You take a step towards him, but Gavin places a gentle hand on your arm. “Let Kerry work,” he says. “He knows what he’s doing.”

For once you don’t fight. You nod numbly and stumble backwards until you’re resting against the wall. The room is spinning and you shut your eyes, pressing the heel of your palms into your eyelids. You won’t let the tears fall. Having Ryan see you cry is one thing. Having others see you cry is something entirely different.

“Gavin,” Kerry says. “Get his sleeve off.”

“Get her upstairs,” Gavin orders to Dan. You open your eyes in time to see Gavin taking his hoodie off and moving to assist Kerry.

“Come on, love,” Dan says gently, placing a hand on your shoulder.

You don’t move at first. “You’re sure he’s going to be okay?” you ask Kerry as Gavin helps him into a pair of surgical gloves.

He smiles at you. “Oh yeah, looks to be clean,” he says. “I’ve fixed him up from worse.”

You let out a few shaky breaths and let Dan lead you from the room. You’re sure Kerry is more than capable, but that doesn’t mean you’re not still worried. Ryan looks so pale. He lost so much blood. “You should go upstairs to Ryan’s and wash up,” Dan suggests, leading you to the elevator.

A thought occurs to you. “The crew owns this whole building, don’t they.” It makes sense. It’s why Michael didn’t bother asking who was at the door when he was keeping an eye on you. It’s also probably why you haven’t seen another person besides the crew in that building.

Dan nods. “You’re safer here than anywhere else,” he says. “I have security all taken care of. You’ll be okay. And Ryan will make it. Promise.”

“I don’t believe in promises,” you tell him, hitting the button for Ryan’s floor. The door closes on Dan. Your hands are shaking and by the time you reach Ryan’s apartment, the trembling has spread through your body. The door is unlocked and you can’t help but slam the door behind you. Now that you’re alone, you ball your hands into fists and scream at the top of your lungs.

You don’t know why. You know there’s no real purpose for it. But you pour your frustration into that scream and when you’re done, your body feels drained and exhausted. As if in a dream you make your way to the bedroom. You catch a glimpse of yourself in his full length mirror and cover your mouth with your hand to stifle the sobs.

Ryan’s blood is all over you and your hands are now stained red. It’s seeped into your coat and is dried on in patches on your pants. You even have streaks on your face from when you wiped away a few stray tears. You turn away from the horrifying image and begin stripping off your blood stained clothes. You ball them up and throw them into a corner before moving into the bathroom.

You barely feel the water rushing over your body as you stand under the spray of the shower. The hot water washes away your tears, which you finally let fall. You stand there for a few minutes, face buried in your hands as you sob. This is all your fault. He got hurt trying to save you. You dragged him into this mess and now he’s laying in a hospital bed with a bullet wound in his shoulder.

You tell yourself crying won’t help and you force the tears away. You reach for a washcloth and begin scrubbing the blood off your hands and face. You ignore the pain you feel when you scrub your bruises.

You watch the red wash off you and slide across the floor of the bathtub towards the drain.

You try not to think about the man who shot Ryan, or the Boss. The Boss who’s probably sitting in his office right now, waiting to hear about what happened. You’re more determined now than ever to make him pay.

If Ryan doesn’t make it, the Boss will not die quickly. You’ll make sure of that.

Eventually the water running off of you is clear and you step out of the shower. You don’t have any more clothes to change into. Instead you dig through Ryan’s drawers and pullout a pair of oversized sweat pants and a t-shirt. You tie the band of the pants as tight as you can so they don’t slip down your hips and yank the shirt over your head. You impatiently dry your hair with your towel. When you’re done you toss it onto your bloody clothes, hiding them from view for the time being. You march back through the apartment.

The carpet of the hallway is rough against your bare feet. You may not be allowed back into the hospital room, but you’d be damned if they tried to stop you from waiting outside. As you reach the first floor and the door to the elevator opens, you’re greeted by the sight of Geoff, Michael and Dan escorting the Boss’s man inside.

His wrists are bound by zip-ties and he’s stumbling from his own bullet wounds.

When he sees you, he flashes you a disgusting grin. “It’ll be a shame if your boyfriend dies,” he sneers.

You lunge at him, not quite sure what you’re going to do. You just know you need to hurt him in some way. But Geoff catches you before you can do anything and says to Dan and Michael, “Take him upstairs! And make sure you tie him down tight. I want that fucker to lose feeling in his limbs.”

Michael and Dan manhandle the guy into the elevator and you don’t break eye contact with him until the doors close.

For a second you and Geoff just stand there, until you wrench yourself out of his grasp and turn towards the hallway where they took Ryan.

“Fox?” he asks. You don’t answer and you hear his footsteps behind you as he tries to catch up. “Fox? Fox! Don’t fucking ignore me. I told Ryan not to bring you. What were you doing there?”

This is news to you. Ryan didn’t tell you Geoff ordered you to be left behind. It’s not surprising. He did say he knew you wouldn’t listen to him anyways. “I’m not part of your crew, Geoff,” you remind the older man, keeping your eyes trained on the many doors. You finally reach the one that is the hospital, but it’s closed.

“I don’t care if you’re not part of my crew,” Geoff says angrily when he catches up to you. You turn to finally look him in the eye and it’s then that you can see just how furious he is. “Your business is getting my people hurt. Ryan brought you in as a consultant and now your former Boss is making it his mission to kill you. And he doesn’t care if we get in the way. You may not be part of my crew, but like it or not you’re working with us. Which means, we go by my rules! Unless I tell Ryan to bring you, you stay put. Are we clear?”

You want to scream at him. Want to throw punches. But it will solve nothing. You sigh heavily and run both hands through your hair, resisting the urge to pull it out of frustration. “Geoff, I’m not going to fight you on this,” you tell him, too exhausted to get angry. Too exhausted to fight back. You just want to know if Ryan is okay. “Fine, whatever you say. But when you meet with Boss, there is no way I’m saying here.”

Geoff breathes heavily through his nostrils. You know he doesn’t want you to be there for that meeting. He knows his crew, he knows what they will and won’t do. But he doesn’t know you. You’re an unknown variable to him. But given the circumstances and your willingness not to fight him on his terms, he makes a noise of disapproval before saying. “Fine. I can’t fault you for that.”

You nod gratefully and lean heavily against the wall before sliding onto the floor and drawing your knees to your chest. Geoff rubs his tired eyes before he takes a seat next to you.

“I know you’ve been in this business a long time,” he says. “But I’ve been in it even longer. I know how guys like Boss work.”

“So do I,” you tell him. “Don’t mistake my age for inexperience. I’ve taken down countless guys like him before. But he’s making a mistake none of the others made.”

“What’s that?” Geoff asks.

You turn to him. “He’s underestimating my anger.”

Geoff blinks a couple of times before smirking. “Did you practice that line in the mirror?” he asks.

“Why? Too much?”

“No, no, it was good,” Geoff insists. “Little over the top on the delivery.”

You can’t help but chuckle softly. Geoff gives you a smile and slides his arm around your shoulders. You both sit there in silence. You stare at the hospital door, willing it to open.

Minutes later, or maybe hours (you can’t tell), the door finally opens and you and Geoff get to your feet. Kerry and Gavin come out.

“He’ll be fine,” Kerry announces.

You can’t help but lean against Geoff as you let out a sigh of relief. Geoff gives you a small hug and you don’t even ask for permission before you push past Kerry into the room.

“Gav, let’s meet Jack and Ray and let them know what’s going on,” you hear Geoff say.

You slowly approach Ryan’s bed. His shoulder is bandaged and it looks like there’s also a bandage on the back of his head where it hit the concrete. The blanket is pulled up to his waist and his torso, arm and face are still splattered with blood.

“Concussion?” you ask.

Kerry shakes his head. “I don’t think so,” he says. “The mask cushioned most of it. There’s just a bump. The bandage is holding an ice pack. The sedative I gave him should wear off soon.”

“Do you have a washcloth?” you ask Kerry. “I want to wipe this blood off.”

“Over by the sink,” Kerry says, pulling off his gloves and blood covered smock. He throws them into a waste container. “He’s stable and his breathing is perfect. I’m going to see if they need me.”

“They might,” you say. “They brought in the guy who did this and he’s injured.”

“And the fucker is going to stay that way for awhile,” Kerry says, grabbing his first aid kit. “I’m going to make sure the other guys weren’t hit. Are you okay? Did you get hit?”

“I’m fine,” you assure him as you walk over to the large sink. “I’ll keep an eye on Ryan.”

Kerry nods and leaves the room, quietly closing the door behind him. You fill a large bowl with warm water and bring it over to Ryan’s bedside. The color seems to be returning to his cheeks and his heart monitor is beeping steadily. You carefully set to work cleaning the blood from his face, arms and chest. The beeping of the monitor is actually soothing and reassuring to you. You're careful roll his IV to the side so you can get a better angle. You don’t hear anyone else outside and become so focused on what you’re doing, you lose track of time.

You’re just finishing rubbing his torso with the washcloth when a soft voice says, “I think you missed a spot.”

Your eyes snap up and you let out a noise somewhere between a sob and a gasp. Ryan’s awake and smiling softly at you. You drop the washcloth into the bowl and climb up onto the bed, throwing your arms around him in a tight hug. “Don’t ever fucking do that to me again, you asshole!”

“Whoa, unnecessary hostility,” Ryan croaks, with a weak laugh. “I took a bullet for you. I thought you would at least give me a blow job or something.”

Happy tears are running down your cheeks and you pull away to hit him playfully on the chest. “That’s not funny,” you say, even though you are laughing slightly. “What were you thinking?”

“That I didn’t want you to get shot,” Ryan says. “I thought it was fairly obvious.”

You hug him again and he wraps his uninjured arm around you. He can feel your tears and he shushes you gently. “Hey, hey, it’s okay. I’m okay. See, not dead. Still good.”

“Ryan-”

“I know.”

You pull back only to lean down and kiss him. His right hand tangles into your hair and he is kissing you back just as feverishly as you’re kissing him. A small part of you thought you would never get to do this again and you cling to him tighter. When you withdraw, he holds you there and makes you look at him. “I heard what you said.”

You frown. “I said a lot of things,” you admit. “You have to be more specific.”

His eyes search yours and you get the impression he’s trying to see if you’re lying or being evasive for some reason. You try to think about what you said while he was on the ground, but everything is pretty much a blur by now.

“You said that you love me.”

Your cheeks burn with embarrassment and now that he’s pointed it out, you vaguely remember that the words had slipped out. “Oh…yeah. That…”

“Did you mean it?”

You suddenly find yourself too close to him for comfort and you carefully climb down from the hospital bed. “Well…” you try to find words as you pull the blanket up around him and busy yourself with cleaning up the washcloth and bowl filled with bloody water. “I mean…I guess I did.”

“You guess?”

You don’t meet Ryan’s gaze and instead turn to bring the cloth and bowl back to the sink. You wash your hands before forcing yourself to turn back to him. He’s staring at you with an unreadable expression that makes you a little worried. You sigh heavily and absentmindedly dry your hands on your sweatpants. “I meant it,” you tell him.

He blinks a couple of times before a bright smile crosses his face. One that makes your heart beat even faster and makes you smile back. “Glad to hear it,” he says, reaching for you.

You walk over and he draws your hand to his lips, placing a soft kiss on your knuckles. “Saved me the trouble of saying it first,” he says.

Now your heart does a little weird flip-flop thing and your breath catches in your throat. You lean down and hug him tightly again. There’s a knock on the door and you two pull away from your embrace. You clear your throat a little to try to get rid of the lump there.

“Come in,” you call.

The door opens and Geoff slowly steps in. When he sees Ryan is awake he smiles. “Hey asshole, how you doing?”

Ryan sighs dramatically and you help him sit up. “That’s the second time I’ve been called an asshole since I woke up,” he says. “You guys are jerks. I took a bullet for the team. Be nice to me. Buy me things.”

“Yeah, I’ll blow you later,” Geoff says with an eye-roll, crossing his arms.

“Oh good, saves me the trouble,” you say.

Whatever Geoff was about to say gets lost in a sea of laughter. He leans on the door to try to catch his breath and his laugh is so infectious, you join in.

“Yeah, yeah, laugh at my expense,” Ryan says, though he’s grinning like crazy.

“I just wanted to see how you’re doing,” Geoff say when he manages to calm down. “And to let you know that the fucker who shot you is currently tied up in room B.”

“What are you planning to do with him?” you ask.

“You have your way of getting information and we have ours,” Ryan says, easing his legs over the side of the bed. You wonder if he should stand right now.

“Ryan, you lost a lot of blood,” you tell him. “You should rest for a bit.” You take the bandage off the back of his head and examine the bump. It doesn’t look too bad. You carefully lay his hair over the lump to cover it.

“Nah, I’m fine,” Ryan insists. He pulls the monitor off his finger and makes a grab for the IV. You stop him before he can rip it out.

“Don’t be a dumbass,” you tell him. You gently peel the tape and slowly slide the needle out. You glance at Geoff once you’re done as Ryan gets to his feet carefully. “So you’re going to torture information out of him?”

“That’s not my job,” Geoff says. He nods towards Ryan. “It’s his.”

You can’t help but grin. “Can I at least watch the look on his face when Ryan walks into the room?”

Geoff rolls his eyes again. “You both are fucking perfect for each other,” he mumbles. “Actually, you know what questions he will most likely answer. If you’re up for it…”

You don’t let Geoff finish. You and Ryan share wicked grins. “I think I can handle it,” you say.

The both of you follow Geoff out of the hospital room. “Jack and Ray brought all your stuff and put it in one of the rooms on the second floor,” he tells you.

“Good,” you say. “I need a change of clothes.”

“I kind of like seeing you in my clothes,” Ryan says with a grin. His hand is holding yours and you can tell he’s having a little trouble walking. You feel like he’s trying to look better than he actually is. You slide his arm around your shoulders and he leans on you slightly.

“Well, I at least need a bra.”

“Debatable,” Ryan says.

“Oh my god you guys need to stop,” Geoff says hitting the button for the elevator.

You lean over to Ryan and whisper. “I’m not wearing underwear.”

Ryan’s eyes are wide when they meet yours. He pulls you in a little closer. “I would take you right now if I didn’t just get shot.”

“I can fucking hear you two,” Geoff says exasperated. The elevator door opens and you follow him in. “Separate sides of the elevator. Now.”

You and Ryan giggle like school children and lean against the railing as the door closes. “We’ll finish our talk later,” you promise him. “Right now there’s a gentleman who I’m sure will be thrilled to know you’re still alive.”


	12. Chapter 12

Ryan tries to make for the interrogation room immediately, but you and Geoff force him to go back to his apartment. You want him to not only get a change of clothes, but he also needs to eat something. He lost a lot of blood and hadn’t eaten at all that day. Come to think of it, you haven’t eaten either. 

After you both have food in your stomachs, you seek out the room where your clothes are stored. You slip into a pair of snug jeans and a black tank top. It’s simple, but it feels so nice to be in a pair of your own clean clothes. When you get back to the apartment, Ryan is just getting out of the shower. He’s taken the bandage off his wound, and you try not to stare at the stitched up skin. It just makes you angry. He pulls on a clean pair of jeans, wincing as he stretches his left arm.

Once he’s buttoned up, you force him to sit. You stand in front of him so you can dry the wound and put a clean bandage on it.

He closes his eyes while you do and you can see he’s shaking slightly. He’s looking a little pale again. “Ryan,” you say softly. “We don’t have to do this now. That douche can wait until you’re feeling stronger.”

“I’m fine,” Ryan says. He leans forward slightly so his forehead is resting against you. “I need to do this now, while my rage is fresh.”

His wording troubles you.

“Maybe that’s not when you should do it,” you say. “We don’t want to kill him. Not right now at least.”

“I know what I’m doing,” Ryan’s voice is muffled as he’s buried in your chest. “The rage helps me focus and stay clear-headed. If I wait, I’ll think on it too much and that’s worse for me.”

“But when he sees you shaking like this-”

“He won’t,” Ryan insists, pulling back. He gently touches the bump on the back of his head and you wonder if he’s in pain. You can assume Kerry gave him painkillers, but you’re not sure when or the dose. “I can keep it together.”

“If it’s too much, you leave that room, you hear me?” you demand, grabbing his chin and making him look at you so he can see how serious you are. “At least let me get you some more painkillers.”

“Nah, I need to be clean,” Ryan says. “Babe, I’ll be fine.”

You sigh heavily and bite back every argument that comes to mind. “Fine, if you say so. I’m not going to tell you what to do.”

“Of course you will,” Ryan says grinning. “But I appreciate you not pushing it.”

“Yeah, yeah,” you mutter and place a soft kiss on his forehead. “Alright, let’s go make this fucker talk.”

You help Ryan into a t-shirt and a pair of boots so he doesn’t have to bend and stretch. He takes a deep breath, before you help him to his feet.

As you walk out of the apartment and down the hall, he leans in close. “Let me go in first,” he says. “I want us to do this together, but only if I can’t get anything out of him. If he’s the kind of guy I think he is, bringing you in immediately will just make him all smug and uncooperative.”

“So I’m your backup?”

Ryan smiles at you. “Always.”  

You ride the elevator to the fourth floor and when the door opens, you’re greeted by the main crew. Geoff, Michael, Gavin, Jack and Ray are standing outside of a fairly unassuming door with a black “B” drawn on it. They’re talking together, but stop as soon as they see you both.

“There he is!” Gavin exclaims as you both approach them.

Ryan chuckles. “Yeah, I’m here,” he says. “Has he said anything?”

Jack shakes his head. “Not a word,” he answers.

“Perfect,” Ryan says. He rolls his head from side to side to loosen up. He carefully rolls his injured shoulder and you can see the pain flash across his face, if only briefly. “Do we have any information on him?”

“Yeah, Lindsay did some research for us,” Geoff says. “His name is Theodore. Been working for the Boss for a long time. Recently promoted to the inner circle. That’s all she could dig up.”

You’re curious as to who this ‘Lindsay’ person is and how she got the information, but that’ll have to wait. “I know the building I always met him in,” you say. “But I don’t think that’s his main business. If we can somehow get the meeting at that building, I’ll at least tell you what I know and we wouldn’t be going in completely blind.”

“Are you sure you’re up for this?” Ray asks Ryan.

You cluck disapprovingly. “I’ve already tried that, don’t bother,” you say, crossing your arms.

“How can you ignore the disapproving-girlfriend stare?” Ray asks.

“It’s a gift,” Ryan answers.

“You two have a plan?” Geoff asks.

“She watches from behind the glass. If I need her I’ll signal,” Ryan tells him. “I want you guys to make sure she doesn’t come in before that.”

You turn to Ryan, annoyed. “I can follow simple instructions,” you say hotly.

“Bullshit,” Michael speaks up. “I’ll keep an eye on her. I have experience holding her back.”

Ryan looks at you curiously and you scrunch your nose. “I may have tried to kill him already…”

“Of course you did,” Ryan smiles somewhat proudly.

“They are disgustingly and frighteningly perfect for each other,” Jack comments.

You see Ryan take a deep breath and stand up straighter. He pulls you to the side as the other guys go through the door directly next to the one Ryan is about to go through.

“There’s a two-way mirror,” he says. “Stand all the way to the right.”

“Why?”

You see Ryan flush slightly. “So I know where you’re standing and I can pretend I can see you.”

You nod and lean up to give him a soft kiss. “Don’t push yourself,” you remind him.

You see the tiredness on his face again as he allows himself a few moments to collect his thoughts and feelings. Then it’s gone and his face is a neutral mask. “Stop worrying about me, woman. I’ll be fine.”

You scowl and hit him lightly on the arm. “Cut the shit, I’m serious. And don’t fucking call me ‘woman’.”

He chuckles. “Yes ma’am. I appreciate your concern,” he tells you. He gives you another kiss before pulling away. You take the hint and go through the door the other guys used, closing it behind you. The viewing room isn’t very large, but then it doesn’t really need to be. There are seats, but no one is using them. You stand exactly where Ryan told you to stand and gaze through the looking glass.

The man in bound to a metal chair, which looks to be welded to the ground. His wrists and ankles are bound with thick cuffs; too thick to allow him to slip out of. They are connected by a thick chain that’s looped through a small hole on the metal table. He is sitting straight and stiff, unmoving. You can’t see his wounds from where you are standing, but the man is sweating a little so you assume he’s still in pain.

Perfect.

The door to the interrogation room opens and Ryan saunters in. You’re amazed at how, well, normal he looks. You would never guess that he had just been shot and is struggling.

You turn your attention to the man’s face and it’s almost comical how large his eyes get.

“Well hello there,” Ryan says in the most cheerful voice you’ve ever heard.

The man fidgets and you hear the chains clank softly.

“Oh, no need to stand for me,” Ryan says condescendingly. “I’ll show myself in.” He strolls over to the tables and shoves his hands into his jean pockets. “I’ve heard you’ve suddenly been quiet. That’s a little shocking considering you wouldn’t shut the fuck up at the warehouse.”

The man glances at the table briefly, before meeting Ryan’s gaze again. You see a small smile cross his face. “Not dead I see,” he says softly.

Ryan shrugs, which you know must have hurt. “Nah, not even a little,” he says.

“You’re not going to get anything from me,” he says. “I have nothing to tell you.”

“Oh we both know that’s a load of shit,” Ryan says with a sinister grin. “You can tell us lots of things. Where Boss is. How to contact him. You see he hasn’t exactly accepted our generous invitation to meet. We’re a little insulted by that. And now you tried to kill us. Salting the wound, my friend.”

“Did he have anything on him?” you whisper to Geoff.

Geoff reaches into his pocket and pulls out a cellphone. He hands it to you, and you examine it. It’s a simple, burner phone, with no calls in the history or contacts. You frown and slip it into your back pocket.

“It’s amazing the trouble one pair of tits can cause,” the man says.

The muscle in Ryan’s neck twitches, but his face doesn’t betray his anger. His grin lessens only a fraction, but his eyes darken dangerously. “She’s not the one shooting people,” he says.

“She really sucked you guys into the damsel in distress routine, hasn’t she?” the man asks.

Anger begins to flow through you, but you clench your hands into fists to try to steady yourself. Michael places a hand on your shoulder. “Ignore him,” he says. “He knows you’re listening. Don’t give him what he wants.”

“I’m fine,” you practically snap.

“How so?” Ryan asks curiously. “I’ve spent my fair amount of time with her. Never saw her as a damsel in distress.” He begins to take small steps around the room.

“Don’t take the bait, Ryan,” Ray says softly.

“He’s fine,” Gavin responds. “He knows what he’s doing.”

You glance at Geoff, but the crew leader has his arms crossed and is chewing absentmindedly on his thumb nail.

“Bet you she used the whole ‘I got caught up in something bad’ routine,” the man says with such spite it confuses you. This man has no idea who you are. Before the beating, you never saw him before. And if you did see him, he certainly hadn’t made a big enough impression for you to remember. What lies was the Boss spreading about you? What lies had this man heard and chose to believe?

Ryan shakes his head. “Sorry, guy, but that’s not what happened,” he says. He pauses for a second, letting the man sit in uncomfortable silence. “I just realized I don’t know your name. I doubt you’ll give it to me.”

“Go to hell.”

“Alright, I’ll pick one for you,” Ryan says with a careless wave of his hand. “How about Theodore? You look like a Theo. Nah, not Theo. Ted! Mind if I call you Ted?”

Theodore pales drastically and he fidgets slightly.

Ryan has a triumphant gleam in his eye and he points at him. “Ted it is,” he says. “See Ted, your boss hired our girl to get information on us. Of course she wasn’t our girl at the time. But I digress. How she came to be on our payroll isn’t the question here. What is the question is why Boss needed her in the first place. We’re just a lowly crew, trying to earn our living. What did we ever do to him?”

“Wow, she must be fantastic in bed for you all to come to her defense to quick-”

Ted doesn’t get to finish his words because Ryan gives him a swift punch in the mouth, splitting his lip and sending his head snapping to the side. Blood drips from the man’s mouth as Ryan shakes his hand out.

“Funny story about the bullet wound you gave me,” Ryan says, his tone calm and even. “It hit my left shoulder. And wouldn’t you know it, I’m right-handed. Isn’t that just dumb luck?”

Ted spits out blood onto the floor and straightens himself. “Did I hit a nerve?” he asks, glaring up at Ryan.

You’re practically trembling with anger. Michael’s hand tightens on your shoulder.

“Maybe slightly,” Ryan readily admits. “But, you also peaked my curiosity. Why are you so interested in her sex life?” He continues his pacing.

“I’m just wondering if she really has such a magical vagina that it’s enough to fuck with all of your minds. Why else would you keep her around?” Ted asks venomously.

“Believe it or not, she’s not just a vagina and tits,” Ryan says, his tone hardening. “She’s smart, unlike you and she’s resourceful, unlike you. She has a lot of information. She knows things. Like, things about your boss for example. She knows all his businesses. All his earnings. She even knows about the liquor shop.”

Ted suddenly doesn’t look so smug and Ryan flashes him a grin as he comes back around to the front of the table. “Yeah, _that_ liquor shop. If you don’t want to talk about Boss, let’s talk about that shop.”

“I’m not saying anything else,” Ted says through clenched teeth.

Ryan makes a mock pout. “But you were just being so chatty a second ago. You were ready to talk when it was about my girlfriend’s vagina. Now you’re not so interested?” He leans on the table. It’s the first time he’s done so and it raises a red flag for you immediately. You know he’s starting to get weary. His arms are trembling slightly. You fight the urge to run in there. Not yet.

You feel all eyes on you when Ryan says ‘girlfriend’. You shoot the guys a look. “Really, that’s what you react to?” you ask.

“Aww, you guys put a label on it,” Michael says.

You roll your eyes at him and turn back to the interrogation.

“That was because that’s public property.”

Ryan stands up straight and moves around the table again. This time he punches Ted twice. “Teddy,” he says, grabbing his hair and yanking his head back so he’s looking up at him. His eye is red and you know it’s going to swell. “You see, you keep coming back to her sex life. I’m starting to sense a little bit of jealousy. Is this personal for you? Or…” You can practically see the lightbulb go on in his head. “Or is it personal for Boss? Did Boss want in on the action and he was shot down?”

The bile rises in your throat at the thought that the Boss wanted anything more than a business partnership. You don’t think that’s the case though. There was never any indication as such. You would have picked up on it right away. The Boss is throwing you under the bus to his men, feeding them what they want to hear so they hate you. But why?

“It doesn’t matter,” Ryan decides, letting the man’s head go and moving away from him. “Back to the matter at hand. I’m afraid we’ve strayed slightly. Where is your Boss? Where can we meet him?”

“Fuck you,” Ted spits out.

Ryan turns towards the mirror and his eyes fall on you. Well, the spot where he knows you are.

“He’s slipping,” you say. His whole body is trembling now and soon Ted will notice and Ryan will lose what little edge he has over him.

“No, he’s fine,” Geoff insists. “Give him some more time.”

“Geoff, I don’t think he’s going to talk,” Jack says in agreement with you. 

You shrug Michael’s hand off your shoulder and grab one of the chairs, dragging it with you as you turn to leave the room. Michael grabs your wrist before you can leave.

“Fox, I said no!” Geoff snaps.

“Ryan said he would give me a signal,” you tell him. “Looking at me, that’s the signal. He needs me.”

Michael glances at Geoff, who lets out a loud groan. “You fuckers are going to be the death of me,” he mumbles. “Let her go, Michael. I’m done fighting her today.”

You pull your hand out of Michael’s grasp and leave the room. Noisily, you kick open the interrogation room door and drag the chair in with you. Ryan doesn’t even flinch. Ted jumps slightly at the sound, but when he sees it’s you, you can tell his feelings are conflicted. He wants to be happy he got to you, but he doesn’t know your mood or motives. You slam the chair in front of the table and turn it around so you can sit on it backwards. You rest your arms on the back rest.

“Hello, Teddy Boy,” you say.

“I knew you were listening,” Ted says with a smirk.

“Give him a fucking medal, babe,” Ryan says to you. “He’s stated the obvious.”

“Here’s the thing, Teddy Boy,” you say. “I’m tired. I want to be done with you and go home, maybe give my honey a blow job and get some sleep. I mean he’s earned it. He took a bullet for me. A bullet you shot. I think the reason why you don’t want to let us talk to Boss is because you know shooting me was not part of his plan. That is a whole other set of questions, but we’ll leave those be for now. I think you’re scared he’s going to get mad at you.”

“I mean, he should,” Ryan says, leaning against the wall opposite the two-way mirror. “You didn’t follow his orders.”

“Not to be cliche,” you say. “But, if you talk, this can be over painlessly.” You take his cellphone out of your pocket and place it on the table in front of you. “We have your phone right here. Just give us the number and we’ll be out of your hair.”

“Sorry, I don’t listen to whores.”

You see Ryan stiffen and make a move to stand up straight, but you put your hand up to stop him.

“Let’s talk about that word for a second,” you say. “‘Whore’. What makes me a whore? Actually no, don’t answer that. Answer me this: what gives you the right to call me a whore? Again, never mind. I’ll answer it. Nothing. Not a goddamn thing. See, the Boss has obviously fed your predisposition for misogyny in order for you to comply. Sorry, you look confused. Words too big for you? You’re a pig and he knows it and used it against you.”

You’re trying to keep your anger in check and take a deep breath to steady yourself. Ryan doesn’t let the silence hang. He makes his way to your side.

“Last time, Ted,” Ryan says. “Give us the number, or we get impatient.”

“Get bent!”

You look up dramatically at Ryan who meets your gaze with a sad shrug. “That’s too bad,” he says. He waves at the mirror and there’s suddenly a soft humming noise. A drawer slides out from one of the walls and a row of sharp looking metal instruments comes into view. Ted’s eyes flicker between the drawer and Ryan, who is strolling leisurely over. He gently strokes the instruments before picking up a simple scalpel.

He makes a show of checking the blade before he struts over to Ted.

“No…” Ted says softly, before clamping his mouth shut and trying to move. But he’s bound tightly and he’s not going anywhere.

“Just tell us what we want to know,” you say with a wave of your hand. “And all this stops.”

“You wouldn’t,” Ted says wildly, looking between you and Ryan. “You’re good guys. You don’t torture people.”

You and Ryan glance at each other before bursting into laughter. “Good guys?” you asks. “What ever gave you that fucking idea? We’re fucking criminals. We’ve both killed people. This is Los Santos dumbass, there are no ‘good guys’.”

“Poor simple, Ted,” Ryan says, grabbing his hair again and pulling his head back. Just as he presses the tip of the scalpel against his right cheek, Ted’s phone begins to buzz.

You and Ryan glance at each other before looking at the phone.

Without waiting for the go ahead, you scoop the phone up and answer the call. “Ted’s phone.”

There is silence for a second, before the Boss’s voice comes through. “Where is my fucking employee?”

“Boss!” you say with an excited smile. “It’s been so long! How are you?” You put the phone on speaker to everyone can hear.

“Where’s my fucking employee, bitch?! I lost good men today!”

“Yeah, we do feel terrible about that,” you say. “Let’s be honest, they really weren’t that great. But, I gotta tell ya, Boss, that was your friend Ted’s fault really. Say ‘hi’ Ted!”

“Boss-” Ryan drags the scalpel across his cheek and Ted screams.

“You’ve crossed a line! You and those petty thieves you’re running around with!” Boss shouts into the phone.

“Hey asswhipe, we just wanted to set up a meeting,” you say, leaning forward in your chair. “Your man here shot first. We just retaliated.”

Boss is silent for a second before snarling, “Did you shoot first?!”

Ted swallows heavily, but doesn’t say anything. Ryan rolls his eyes and draws another line across his cheeks. “Yes,” the man screeches.

You can hear the absolute fury in the Boss’s voice and it tickles you. “Fine, I’ll meet with your stupid crew,” he says. “But if you kill my employee, I will reign death upon all of you.”

“Don’t worry,” you say. “We’ll return him alive and intact.” Ryan draws another line on Ted’s cheek, and the man screams in agony. “Mostly.”

“Fine, we’ll meet-”

“Tomorrow, where we always meet, eight o’clock in the morning,” you cut him off. “If we see a gun, we snap Ted’s neck and burn your businesses to the ground. Our leader has a few choice words for you and we will be heard.”

“I thought you didn’t work with a crew,” the Boss snaps, throwing your words back in your face.

“Things change when my life is threatened,” you say icily. “See you tomorrow, Boss.”

You hang up the phone and nod towards Ryan to make him back off. Ryan pulls away from Ted and the man slumps forward in his chair, shaking. Blood is running down his cheek and he’s shaking violently. You find no pity for him.

“We’re done here,” you make a move to stand and Ryan drops his scalpel on top of the other instruments, closing the drawer until it locks again. As Ryan strolls towards the door you take a few steps towards Ted and step hard on the chain under the table. Ted pitches forward unexpectedly and smacks his head on the metal table. The loud echoing noise is oddly satisfying. “That’s for the beat down.”

Without sparing him a second glance, you grab your chair and follow Ryan out of the room.


	13. Chapter 13

By the time you make it back to Ryan’s apartment, he can barely stand. His arm is around your shoulders and he’s leaning on you heavily. You open the door and he stumbles as he moves forward. You’re quick and wrap your arm around his waist for extra support. “I told you we should have waited!” you say, helping him through the apartment. 

You glance at his shoulder and a red spot is spreading across the fabric of his shirt. “Shit,” you mutter.

Ryan doesn’t hear you and seems to be focusing on walking. You finally get him into the bedroom and help him onto the bed. You carefully ease his shirt over his head and sure enough his bandage is soaked in blood. 

“Yeah, okay you were right,” he says, wincing as he lays down. “I felt some of the stitches tear when I punched him. Kind of put my whole body into it…”

You sigh heavily and go into the bathroom, rummaging around until you find a first aid kit. When you come back, Ryan is peeling away the bandage. You bat his hand away to take over. “I’m tired of seeing you bloody,” you say softly.

Ryan’s hand comes up to grasp your chin, forcing you to look at him. “This was my choice,” he says. “Geoff told me to leave you behind-”

“I know, he told me,” you say to him. “But you didn’t have to take that bullet for me.”

“I love you,” he says firmly. Hearing the words coming from his mouth for the first time makes your stomach flip-flop again and your heart race. “If you really think I would just stand by and let you get shot, I don’t think you really understand what those words mean.”

You avert your eyes and go about cleaning his wound. He did tear some of the stitches and he’s probably going to have a scar now. However, it’s not as bad as you thought and it doesn’t look like you need to call Kerry. You clean his shoulder and put a fresh bandage on.

“I know what they mean,” you tell him. “I just…I’m used to a different kind of love I guess.” You pack up the first aid kit and put the bloody bandage in the trash bin next to his nightstand. When you’re done cleaning, your eyes slide up to meet Ryan’s.

“What kind of love?” he asks. You knew he would.

“One-sided,” you say. “On my part.” Ryan makes a move to sit up but you force him back down. “Don’t. You’ve already overdone it.”

“Then come here so I can kiss you,” he says.

You put the first aid kit on the floor and climb up onto the bed. When you crawl over to him, he pulls you down and does exactly what he wanted to do. The kiss is soft and incredibly sweet. Your tongues dance together slowly and his hand comes up to cup the back of your neck. Your head is spinning by the time he pulls away so you both can breathe.

“Look, I don’t know where we go from here,” Ryan admits. “I have no clue how this is going to work. But I’m willing to try if you are.”

“Of course I am,” you say immediately. You pause for a moment, trying to find a way to phrase the question you want to ask. “Just out of curiosity, when did you know?”

“Know what?” Ryan asks. “That I love you? Or that you love me?”

“Yes.”

He chuckles at your answer. “I don’t know to be honest,” he says with a shrug. “It’s not like there was really a defining moment. I just knew.”

He’s looking very pale and you pull away so you can grab the comforter and tuck him in. “You need to rest,” you tell him. “If you try to fight me on this I will tie you to this bed.”

“Mmm, can you do that anyways?” he asks wiggling his eyebrows at you.

You laugh. “Enough of that,” you say. “No sexy times until you’re rested and feeling better.”

“I believe something was said about a blow job,” Ryan reminds you.

“There is no way in hell I’m blowing you right now,” you tell him. “We need your remaining blood to stay where it is.”

Ryan pouts. “Fine,” he says. “Kill joy.”

You make a move to climb off the bed, but Ryan seizes your arm. “Where are you going?”

“To get rid of this mess,” you say motioning to the bloody bandages in the trash. You also still have your clothes in the corner of the room. You’re tired of staring at his blood.

“Lay with me for a bit?” Ryan asks. There is no way you can deny him so you pull back the blanket and slide in next to him. He turns on his uninjured side to face you. “Are you okay?”

You smile at his consideration, but it doesn’t last long when you think about all the stuff Ted said. “I really don’t understand what the fuck the Boss is thinking,” you say. “And that scares me. I can read people. It’s kind of what I do. But he’s being so unpredictable.”

“We need to get back to that liquor shop,” Ryan says. “Did you see Ted’s face when I mentioned it? Something is going on there.”

“I don’t know what it could be,” you say. “We never found anything in those photos we took. It was just a bunch of shipping manifests for his other businesses.”

“It’s time we bring the guys in on this. We’ll talk to Geoff about it tomorrow,” Ryan says. “After we meet with Boss.”

The reminder makes your blood boil and a sense of dread washes over you. Ryan must have seen your expression change because he reaches over to rest his hand on your cheek. “You don’t have to go,” he tells you.

“The fuck I don’t,” you say. “I told you I’m going. And I’m going to stand right there next to you. I’m going to look him in the eye and show him I’m not afraid of him.”

“You have to let Geoff do the talking,” Ryan tells you. “Remember, we’re just there to scope the place out. And try to settle this without more bloodshed. Even though that probably won’t work.”

You sigh. “Yeah, I know,” you say. “It’ll be hard. Not really used to keeping my mouth shut.”

“Obviously,” Ryan says. You hit him playfully on the chest and he chuckles. “But it’s for the best. Trust me, it’ll be just as hard for me to keep quiet.”

“Your mask is in my jacket pocket by the way,” you tell him.

Ryan shakes his head. “I’m not going to wear it,” he says. “I want him to see my face and know just how fucking furious I am. I want him to see every glare and muscle twitch as I hold myself back from killing him.”

His words are chilling but also inspiring. You aren’t going to be the only one suffering. You’ll be suffering together. You seem him stifle a yawn. “Alright, time for you to sleep,” you tell him.

This time Ryan doesn’t fight you. He wraps his arm around your waist and pulls you against his chest. After some shifting around, he settles himself with his face buried in your hair. You both fall into silence and within minutes you can feel his soft breath ghosting across your temple. You don’t need to look at his face to know he’s asleep.

You aren’t very tired, but after the day you had there is no way you’re leaving the comfort of Ryan’s embrace. Not after you almost lost him. You snuggle into a comfortable spot and trace gentle patterns on the arm around your waist.

You feel sick to your stomach, but you know it’s because of everything that happened. Now that everything has calmed for the moment, the adrenaline is gone and has left you with the shakes. This day was one of the longest you’ve ever had and you’re glad it’s over. You’ve been reckless and you vow to yourself to be more careful. You and Ryan…as complicated as it is, it’s the best thing you have going in your life and you really don’t want to screw it up.

Tomorrow when you meet the Boss, no matter how hard it is, no matter how much he provokes you, you have to remain calm and put together.

Your eyelids been to droop. Okay, maybe you are tired. You bury your face into Ryan’s chest, giving into the sleep.

\--

You awake some time later to a hand snaking into your shirt. It’s pitch black in the room and you sense it’s some time in the middle of the night. You feel like you’ve been sleeping for hours, but you can’t really be sure.

“Remove your hand or I’ll remove it for you,” you mumble sleepily.

Ryan chuckles and pulls you tighter against his chest. It seems you guys hadn’t moved since you fell asleep. His hand is stroking your side tenderly as it sneaks it’s way upward. “I’m just touching,” he says. “You’re so warm and soft.”

You smile sleepily and stretch. “What time is it?”

Ryan shrugs, his hand moving to your back. He unsnaps your bra, which feels great since you fell asleep wearing it, something you don’t usually do. “Middle of the night,” he says.

“How’s your shoulder?”

“Hurts,” Ryan says. He pushes your bra up and his hand gently massages one of your breasts. “But I’m distracted enough to ignore it.”

“Not a good idea,” you tell him.

Ryan presses his front against you so you can feel his erection through his jeans. “I beg to differ.”

His thumb drags across your nipple and it hardens instantly. “Ryan, you just got shot,” you tell him.

“So?” he says. “I fingered you when you got beaten. It’s how we heal.”

This was true. You had been persistent then, and he definitely was being persistent now. His hand is just groping you, but already you feel yourself grow wet. You pull back slightly to look up at him. But his mouth falls onto yours before you can even make eye contact. He’s not shaking anymore, which is a good sign.

His mouth is insistent and his tongue slides against yours effortlessly.

You pull away to breathe. “What did you have in mind?” you ask, panting slightly. His hand leaves your shirt and he reaches down to grab your hand. You know what he’s going to do before he does it. You give the front of his jeans a firm rub and he lets out a strangled moan.

“I just want you,” he says. “Whatever part you’re willing to give.”

You pull back slightly and sit up, but it’s only to pull your shirt and bra off and chuck them over the side of the bed. When you lay back down, Ryan’s hand is back on your breast and he’s kneading the flesh gently. You unbutton his jeans and slide the zipper down before pushing this jeans and underwear down his hips. He wriggles out of them and they wind up in a bundle at the foot of the bed. You go in for another kiss, but not before whispering. “Take what you want.”

Ryan’s body shivers at this and it thrills you. His mouth is more demanding this time when he kisses you and you match his enthusiasm. He rolls onto his back and drags you on top of him. You both pant between kisses, neither one wanting to break the kiss to breathe properly. Slowly you move your hips so you can rub yourself up and down his length.

He lifts you slightly and then he’s sliding into you.

You take over the movements, moving up and down. Your pace is leisurely and that seems just fine with Ryan, who’s busy dragging his lips along your throat. “You good?” you ask breathlessly.

Ryan wraps his arms around your waist and thrusts his hips up to meet yours. “What do you think?” he asks.

You chuckle and lean down to kiss him. “I think I can do this forever,” you mumble before your lips meet. You feel him smile into the kiss.

“Good,” he says back.

All talking stops as your mouths grow busy tasting each other. You weren’t lying. You really could lay in bed with him forever. In the short time you’ve known him, he’s become just an integral part of your life you can’t imagine him not being there. You don’t want to. Obviously you wouldn’t have a normal future together, with the house and the family. But you guys would be a dangerous team if you keep doing what you’re doing. With your knowledge and his muscle, you guys could take over the world and laugh as you do it.

“Where’d you go?”

You blink down at Ryan and realize you were so lost in thought you stopped kissing. You're both still moving against each other.

“Just…thinking about this…” you say, pressing yourself against him and nuzzling his cheek.

Ryan slides his hand into your hair and holds you closer. His hips speed up and you match his pace. He’s sweating you and you feel him throbbing inside of you. You grind down against him and place small kisses against his lips. When he comes minutes later, you watch entranced as he closes his eyes and throws his head back with a groan. Perfection.

Your movements slow down and eventually stop as he practically melts into the mattress.

“It’s been an interesting day,” he says. You pull the comforter back up to cover you both. You’re still on top of him and adjust so you’re weight is not completely on his chest. “Gunfire, bullet wounds, interrogations and love making. All in all, pretty good day.”

You chuckle. “Except for the whole you got shot thing,” you say.

“Hey, but you didn’t,” he says, forcing you to look at him. “And that’s a win for me.”

This time the kiss is merely a brush of lips before you both snuggle into each other’s arms. Within minutes, he’s fallen asleep again and you’re glad. He needs all the rest he can get before tomorrow. When you’re sure he’s been sleeping for awhile, you carefully ease yourself out of bed. You clean yourself up and get dressed. Ryan doesn’t even move when you silently slip from the room.

The halls are silent as you make your way to the elevator.

You’re sure you’re going to run into someone, but there’s not a person in sight. At least not until you reach the 4th floor.

“What are you doing up here?” Dan asks, his arms crossed as he leans against a door.

“I just need to talk to him,” you say.

Dan eyes you wearily. “Geoff warned me you might come,” he says.

You lift your arms and spin so he can see that you aren’t armed. “And what did he tell you to do if I did?”

Dan stares at you for a few more moments before carefully stepping away from the door to room B. You nod gratefully.

Ted is still strapped to the chair, head bent as he sleeps sitting up. He jerks awake when you slam the door.

“We need to have a private chat, Teddy Boy.”


	14. Chapter 14

The morning comes too quickly. 

You don't sleep at all. When the sun rises and the alarm goes off, Ryan wakes to find you sitting in bed, your knees drawn to your chest.

“Hey,” he mumbles sleepily, rubbing his eyes. “How long have you been awake?”

“All night,” you say. Your tone is practically void of emotion and you don’t look at him.

You can tell he’s staring at you. “Are you okay?”

He sits up and it’s then that you glance at him. His eyebrows are drawn together worriedly and his hair is tousled from sleep.

You wish you could tell him what’s bothering you, but you have to meet the Boss in an hour and you’d rather not get into it. “I’ll be fine.”

Ryan’s frown deepens but as he leans forward, he winces and grabs his shoulder. You force him to lay down so you can look under the bandage. The stitches look good but his painkillers must have worn off. “I’ll get you some meds,” you say, climbing off the bed.

He grabs your wrist and says your name, but you keep your eyes on the ground. He says it again followed by, “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t want to talk about it right now,” you tell him, wriggling your wrist out of his grasp. “We have a meeting to get to.”

After getting Ryan some meds, you both get ready for the meeting in tense silence. You expect Ryan to ask you more questions, but he doesn’t. You both leave the apartment together and make your way to the lobby. Gavin and Ray are already down there.

“You both look like shit,” Ray says.

“I got shot,” Ryan says. “What’s your excuse, Ray?”

The Puerto Rican rolls his eyes. “Sweet come back,” he says sarcastically.

You can feel they stare at you, but you don’t acknowledge them. Instead you lean against the wall, your arms crossed over your chest and your hands clutching your elbows.

Ryan comes to stand in front of you as Gavin and Ray fall into their own conversation. “Hey, come on, talk to me,” he says, gingerly placing his hands on your arms. You shrug them away.

“I told you I don’t want to get into it,” you say, eyes trained on the floor.

“Will you at least look at me?”

Reluctantly you drag your eyes up to meet his questioning blue ones. For a moment your resolve slips, but you keep yourself in check and instead sigh. “Later, please?” you ask. “We’re about to go meet Boss. I can only focus on one thing at a time.”

Ryan wants to argue. You can see it. But instead he takes a deep breath and exhales loudly through his nostrils. He leans in to kiss you, but you turn at the last second so he gets your cheek. The deliberate action does not go unnoticed. The elevator dings and he steps away from you. The door opens and Michael and Dan walk out, leading a bruised and limping Ted.

You don’t have to look at Ryan to see his confusion. He never did anything to Ted’s leg, and the bullet wounds he sustained were mostly grazes and no where near his legs. He seems to be nursing his left knee and it’s incredibly satisfying. The eye Ryan punched is swollen shut and the cuts on his face have been stitched by Kerry. But he now sported fresher bruises on his jaw and two of his fingers have been bound with medical tape. They look purple and broken.

Geoff steps out after them.

“Why does he look worse than when we left him?” Ryan asks him.

Geoff’s eyes slide to meet yours and you hold his gaze.

“Funny thing, huh?” he says to Ryan, but does not answer. “Let’s head out. Jack’s got the van.”

You make a move to follow them, but Ryan’s grabs your upper arm. “What did you do?” he asks.

You look up at him and for the third time that morning shrug away from his touch. “He had information I needed,” you tell him.

“You went in there alone? Are you fucking crazy? Do you know how dangerous-”

“I’m a big girl, Ryan,” you say icilly. “I’ve taken care of myself long before you showed up and I will take care of myself long after you’re gone.”

You push past him and walk out the door to meet the rest of the guys.

The car ride to the Boss’s office is dead silent. Jack is driving a large van, with Geoff in the passenger seat. Michael, Ray and Gavin are in the three seats in the way back, while you and Ryan sit in the two middle seats. Ted was tossed unceremoniously in the trunk before you took off. Ryan is staring at you the entire ride but you refuse to look at him.

The only words that are spoken are the directions you gave to Jack.

When you pull into the parking garage, you feel your chest tighten as you remember the last time you were there. The crew piles out of the van and Jack and Michael pull Ted from the trunk. There is a security guard standing by the door waiting for you.

“The Boss will see you immediately,” he says as you walk up.

“I should hope so,” Geoff says, leading the way. You all file into the building.

It’s oddly quiet inside. There aren’t many workers today and you wonder if your meeting is the reason for that. You all are led through the many hallways and staircases, all the way up to the Boss’s office.

As you walk into the waiting room, your eyes fall on the red-headed receptionist. You had walked by her countless times before, but this time, you actually notice her. This time, she looks up at you pass. She and Michael share a glance and half smile. Your eyes fall to her hands on the keyboard and you see a wedding ring on her left finger.

The Boss’s is office is filled with security guards. The man himself sits at his desk and when you all enter, the door is shut behind you. Geoff steps forward and takes the one seat in front of Boss’s desk.

“So nice of you to agree to this meeting,” he says in a low, calm voice.

“Mr. Ramsey,” Boss says coldly.

Geoff nods towards him before waving a hand at Michael and Jack. The men shove Ted forward, who falls to the ground with a groan of pain. “Your employee,” Geoff says.

“Get him up and get him cleaned,” the Boss snaps at his men. Two of them help Ted to his feet and practically carry him from the office. “Alright, you’ve made your point. What do you want?”

“To settle this,” Geoff says. “We’re both business men…of sorts. You wanted information on us and I want my crew to stop being targeted.”

“You’re conducting your ‘business’ in my territory,” Boss says, sitting up straight in his chair. “Stop. Simple as that.”

“Yeah, see here’s the thing,” Geoff says, drawing his leg up so his foot rests on top of his knee. “There is no such thing as territories. Los Santos is fair game for everyone. If you don’t want us hitting certain businesses, you need to make a pretty convincing case as to why we shouldn’t. Otherwise, I can’t make any promises.”

“My case is that you are dangerously close to involving yourself in not just my business, but the business of several other men such as myself throughout the city,” Boss says. His eyes study the crew behind Geoff and it’s then that he notices you’re there. You know he can still see the fading bruise around your eye and he looks oddly proud of his work. You feel the bile rise in your throat, but you do not speak. You know Geoff needs to do the talking. No matter what.

“I’m surprised you haven’t offered to bring us in on the business,” Geoff says casually. “You’ve seen our work. You know we’re good at what we do.”

“Your particular skills are unnecessary,” Boss says immediately. “But this isn’t the only reason you demanded a meeting. I’m not stupid. You want revenge to what was done to your whore.”

The guys shift to surround you, as if they are preparing to hold you back. But you stand your ground and simply raise an eyebrow at Boss.

“Fox is part of my crew now,” Geoff says, planting both feet on the floor again and sitting up in his seat. “So I would appreciate it if you showed her some respect. You and I both know that is not her reputation. I think you’ve convinced yourself it is because you’re afraid of what she knows about you.”

The Boss glares at Geoff. “She knows nothing of importance,” he says, but you can see him sweating slightly. “Even if she did, it’s her word over mine.”

“You say that like it means something,” Geoff says, and it’s really hard for you not to smile at this.

“Enough,” Boss says standing. “You think you can come into my office and intimidate me? What is it you’re trying to do here? What do you hope to accomplish?”

“A truce,” Geoff says with a shrug, not phased by Boss’s outburst. “That’s it. Leave us alone.”

“But you’ve already refused to leave my territory alone,” Boss says, eyes narrowed angrily. “This meeting was a waste of time.”

Geoff remains silent for a moment. “Fine,” he says, raising his hand to stop the Boss from continuing. “You win. We’ll back off from your businesses. Just give us a list of all of your properties, and we will agree not to target any of them.”

The look on the Boss’s face is priceless. First he turns pale, then red, then some weird shade of purple you have never seen before. “I will not fucking hand over all of my information to a group of lowlife, petty thieves and a conniving slut! Get out of my fucking office!”

Several security guards step forward and Geoff stands, holding his hands up in surrender. “Your choice then,” he says. “Let the record show I tried to be civil. I can’t stop robbing you if I don’t know what you own.”

“I said get out!” The Boss bellows. He motions to his guards who begin to descend on the crew.

“We’re leaving,” Geoff says as you and the guys make your way out of the room. “Thank you for your time.”

You don’t breathe properly until Jack is speeding down the highway. When you’re finally away from the building, the guys burst out laughing and begin talking all at once. They are cheering Geoff on for his brilliant tactics, but you don’t care about anything they have to say. Ryan isn’t cheering either. You can feel his eyes burning into the back of your head.

“Calm down, assholes,” Geoff says. “We already have the list of businesses, thanks to Fox. I was just trying to show that we can be cooperative.”

“Clearly he wasn’t fucking going to take the bait,” Ray says. “But now we can’t say we didn’t try.”

“Fox, Ryan,” Geoff addresses you both as he turns in his seat to look back at you. “I’m assuming something shady is going on with his properties? Well, something more shady than what he’s usually into.”

“A liquor shop,” you tell him. “I have the address back at the apartments. Ryan and I aren’t sure what’s going on there, but it’s not good.”

“Alright, we’ll look into that when we get back,” Geoff says.

You fall silent once more and stare out the window, watching the cars zoom by. You’re going over the meeting in your head and something isn’t sitting right with you. You can’t really put your finger on it. When you finally get to the apartment building, you want nothing more than to just be alone with your thoughts, as dangerous as that might be. But, considering you don’t have your own space, that’s not going to happen.

You know Ryan wants to talk to you. You know what’s coming. And you know there is no way you can avoid it any long. No one seems to notice you and Ryan aren’t talking, or even looking at each other. As each of the guys leaves the elevator, the silence grows more and more tense. It’s just you two by the time you reach Ryan’s floor. The hallway seems to stretch for miles and you ball your hands into fists to keep them from shaking.

Ryan opens the apartment door and you make a beeline for the bedroom, hoping you will be able to lock yourself in the bathroom before he can catch up. But of course, you have no such luck.

“Will you just talk to me!” Ryan finally bursts out as you both reach the bedroom.

You can’t take it anymore. Your blood is boiling and your fists are fully trembling now. You whirl around to face him, eyes full of fury. “Fine, you want me to fucking talk?” you ask. “You want to know what I’m pissed about?”

“Yes! Clearly you’re pissed at me for some reason. What did I do?”

“You want to know what you did? You lied to me! You _knew_ who I was that night!” you exclaim, pointing an excusing finger at him. “You knew I was there for the crew! You knew that you and the guys were my targets! You know, something always bothered me about that night. I was watching you guys for hours and you never looked my way. Not once! But suddenly, suddenly some drunk guy is hitting on me and you just happen to swoop in and play the big hero. You just happen to suddenly be standing next to me after not leaving your crew all night. You were all charming and full of compliments. You played the blushing, nice guy pretty well.

“And then, you pretended to play dumb that I was after information. You knew all along someone was after you guys, and you used me to get the information. But you know what pisses me off the most? What makes me absolutely fucking furious? When you confronted me about your wallet, I came clean. I told you what I could without getting me killed. I gave you information. And this whole fucking time you played me! You lied to me!”

All the information you learned when you tortured Ted comes spilling out of you at an alarming rate and you can’t hold it in anymore.

“I never lied to you!” Ryan cuts in, his voice sharp.

“A lie by omission is still a fucking lie!” you snap. “I can’t believe I fell for this again! I can’t believe I fell for the same fucking routine! I’m so fucking stupid! Here I was putting myself on the line with the Boss for information you had already! For things you knew! Lindsay has been his receptionist for over a fucking year now! I know she was the one who tipped you guys off. I know she’s Michael’s wife. You used me to learn exactly what he knew, while you fed me shit information.”

“Don’t act like you were completely innocent!” Ryan exclaims in a booming voice. “It didn’t take much convincing to get you to turn on him. Yeah, I knew who you were that night. And yes, I used that to my advantage. But our partnership, that was real! You turned on him without any actual convincing.”  

“That I was fine with,” you tell him. “Clearly I was willing to turn on him. But this entire, whatever we are, is built on a lie. Silly me, I thought we were being honest with each other. I thought we actually loved each other. But you were just stringing me along until I was no longer useful.”

You so worked up, your chest is heaving. Your head is spinning and you can’t even bring yourself to look at him.

“I’m done. I’m not staying here anymore. I’ll find somewhere else to sleep.”

You make a move to storm off but he blocks your path. “Can I at least defend myself?” He doesn’t wait for you to answer. “Yeah, okay, I admit it. I knew who you were that night. I knew that you were watching us. But I did not know anything about Boss. I didn’t know who you were working for. My instructions were to gather information on you by any means. So yeah, that night in the club started as business. But when you kissed me…” He pauses as his voice gets choked up and he swallows before continuing.

“And then you were gone and I followed you. The alley? That wasn’t business. That was me wanting you, simple as that. I know you wanted me too! When I saw you took my wallet, I didn’t even fucking care. I didn’t take your ID for information on you. I took it so I could track you down again. The partnership was just me and you. No third party.”

“Ryan, Geoff fucking knew that Boss was the one that hired me!” you practically yell. “You told me he had no idea who would be after him. That was a lie! Ted told me everything! He told me that Boss and Geoff have had a beef for years! Couldn't you tell? Didn’t you see how they were with each other today? There was familiarity! They’ve dealt with each other before.”

“Well that’s fucking news to me!” he exclaims. “If Geoff knew Boss then that means he lied to me too! Yeah, I didn’t tell you I knew you, but after that second night together, I have been completely honest with you.”

He takes a few steps towards you and you instinctively back up.

“And if you for one second think I was lying when I said, ‘I love you’, then you are dead wrong,” he says, his voice softening. “You’re it for me. I will never want to be with anyone else. I love you with everything I’ve got. And that, that is the absolute truth.”

Your emotions are all over the place. You’re so conflicted. You want to believe him. You want to believe him so fucking bad it hurts and you can feel your eyes stinging with the tears you want to shed. You want to grab him and cry into his chest and put everything behind you. But that’s not who you are. You’ve been burned by too many people, too many times to count. You can’t be there right now. You need air. You need to be anywhere other than that apartment.

“I just…I can’t right now,” you say, running your hands roughly through your hair. “This is…this is too much. I have to go.”

“Please, please don’t,” Ryan pleads. He doesn’t grab you this time, but follows you out of the room and through the apartment. “Please, stay. We need to hash this out. You’re right, I should have said something. It was fucking stupid of me. We need to just get everything out in the open. Please, don’t leave!”

“No,” you say. “I can’t be here. I need space.”

You don’t even look back as you walk out the door.


	15. Chapter 15

As much as you want to leave the building, you make it all the way to the lobby before you realize how stupid you’re being. At least about leaving. You know Dan will chase you down before you can get to the parking lot. It’s funny how the apartment complex goes from being a safehouse to a prison. You settle for taking the elevator to the floor where your stuff is being stored. They shoved everything into a spare apartment and while you can barely move through all the stuff, it at least has a bed.

Not that you’re going to be sleeping anytime soon. It’s not even midday yet. But you feel like crawling into bed with the shades drawn, and fuck anyone who tells you to do otherwise.

You push your way into the apartment and lock the door behind you, using the chain and deadbolt.

Once you’re alone, you press your back against the door and slide onto the plush carpet. You draw your knees to your chest and bury your face in them.

You don’t know what to do.

The information Ted gave you and the information you knew already, or thought you knew, is all jumbled in your head and you’re trying to find what’s true and what’s not. Why did you let yourself get so involved? There is a reason you never work with a crew! Hey, you love secrets as much as the next snoop, but when you’re actually in a partnership with someone, hell in a relationship with someone, you are as honest as you can be. You would expect them to be the same way. If Ryan had just outright told you what he knew, you wouldn’t have cared so much. But no, he didn’t. You had to find out weeks later while torturing it out of the lackey of the target you were trying to bring down.

You will say that Ryan looked genuinely surprised when you said the Boss and Geoff know each other, which leads you to believe he didn’t know.

But why? Why all of this? The deeper you get involved, the less sense it makes.

After your fight with Ryan however, you don’t even want to think about what the Boss is up to. You push yourself to your feet and go about organizing your belongings. Well, not really organizing so much as putting it into better piles. At least you can somewhat move through the room now. There’s no food in the kitchen, which you don’t really care about because you’re not really all that hungry.

You walk into the bedroom and give a noise of annoyance when you see all your nice clothes just dumped on the bed. You put what you can in the closet and the rest you fold carefully and place in the dresser. Once that’s done and you’ve found some sheets for the bed, you strip off your skirt and blouse and climb under the covers. The blankets are from your apartment and the smell of them instantly gives you a sense of comfort and safety.

This time instead of crying, you clench your jaw and curl into a ball.

Ryan had sounded so sincere when he told you he loved you. You actually believed it. But you’ve been through this before. You have no trouble putting yourself out there but it always seems to come back and bite you in the ass...before it rips out your heart.

You’re no stranger to lying. But for some reason with Ryan you thought it was different. It felt different. He even begged you to stay. That definitely never happened before.

You’re starting to get a headache.

Lying in bed isn’t having the calming effect you were hoping for. You kick the blankets off with huff and stare up at the ceiling. You can’t help but picture Ryan. Now that you’re angry with him, it seems your mind can’t seem to stop replaying every moment you’ve been together. Every touch, every kiss, every smile, every laugh…

You drag yourself back out of bed and into the living room, where your filing cabinet sits. You punch in the passcode to unlock it and pull open the drawer, searching for your files on the Boss. You know them by heart, but you really have nothing better to do at the moment. Maybe burying yourself in reading with stop you from picturing the blue-eyed criminal you’re pissed off at.

You pull the file out and sit on the floor. You take all the documents you’ve collected and spread them around you, studying each one individually as you do.

You don’t even know what you’re looking for anymore.

There’s no mention of a liquor shop. No mention of illegal weapons or merchandise, or even anything that could be code for such things. Whatever the Boss is into, it’s bad. So bad you can’t find any trace of it. That really doesn’t seem possible. There’s always a paper trail. You just haven’t found it yet.

There’s a knock on the door and you freeze instantly. You sit in silence for a second, before a second knock comes. This one much louder.

You hold your breath, but you already know who it is.

You hear Ryan call your name and you bite back a frustrated groan. “Are you there? Please, can we just talk this through?”

He’s persistent, you’ll give him that. But you can’t force yourself to see him right now. Even if you did accept his apology, that’s not going to make the anger instantly go away. Accepting an apology isn’t the same as forgiving someone.  

“I know you’re there,” he says when you don’t answer. “Jack saw you come this way. Please, open the door.”

You purse your lips together and remain silent. After a moment you hear Ryan sigh and there’s a rustling sound, followed by a soft thud. “Fine, I’ll just sit here until you let me inr,” he says. You picture him in the hallway, sitting against the door, very much like you were doing when you first got there. “And if you won’t talk to me, then can you at least listen?”

You don’t answer him, but silently you crawl across the floor to the front door and lean against it, just like you know he’s doing on the otherside.

“I already admitted I knew you were watching us. But, seriously that’s all I knew. Geoff told me that when we got to the bar, there may be someone keeping an eye on us. He asked me to talk to you. To try to get anything off of you. I paid that guy to keep hitting on you. And you were right, I played the big hero. But you were not what I was expecting. I don’t even know what I was expecting, to be honest. I definitely didn’t think you would kiss me. But when you did, I felt more alive than I have in a really long time.”

He’s speaking softly, so much so that if you weren’t leaning against the door you would barely be able to hear him.

“In the alley…” his voice trails off for a second. “I don’t want you to think I’m in the habit of taking women out back to fool around with. But I’m glad I caught up with you because that night in the alley was one of the bests I’ve ever had.” He chuckles slightly. “The rest of my best nights are some of the other nights we’ve had. Like that second night. The one in your office? How we basically screwed each other unconscious. On the couch, when you asked about feelings...I knew I was doomed. You just looked so beautiful...”

You can’t help but smile at this.

“I love you. Taking that bullet wasn’t to try to sell or cover anything. It wasn’t to try to live up to some con. I truly didn’t want to see you hurt. And I swear to god I did not know Geoff knew Boss. He lied to me. And that made me unknowningly lie to you. I promise you we will figure this out. Together. I was lied to also and I say we keep whatever we find to ourselves until we know what the fuck is going on.”

You bite your lip to keep from calling out to him. Your resolve is almost gone. You want to open the door. But your stupid pride is holding you back.

“You’re the one person I’ve met who already knew who I was, what I’ve done. Granted not all of what I’ve done. I want to share it with you. Not just because I want you to know all the parts of me, even the dark ones, but because I know you won’t judge me. You won’t hate me for what I’ve done. Just like I don’t hate you for what you’ve done. I’m not going to go away unless you want me to. But you have to look me in the eye and tell me you don’t love me to make me leave.”

Can you do this? Can you push past the lies and trust him? You want to. But you swore to yourself you wouldn’t be fooled by someone you love again. You rub your tired eyes, mostly to hide the tears that are threatening to fall. You wanted to know if he really loves you, and it seems you now have your answer.

Ryan is different. You’ve known that since that first night and he’s proven it again and again.

You force yourself to your shaky feet and will away the anxiety you feel. Carefully you unlock the door. You take a step back as you hear him scramble to his feet. There’s a beat before the door knob turns and the door opens slowly. You cross your arms across your chest and avert your eyes as Ryan steps into the room. He doesn’t say anything as he closes the door behind him.

You want to tell him to leave, not because you don’t love him but because you still need time to sort things out. But when you meet his gaze, you can’t do it. He suddenly looks childlike standing there, wringing his hands as he waits for your response. And is it really so bad not to have all the answers? Is it really so bad to forgive him? Like he said before, you aren’t innocent in this either.

You give him a small, half-smile and he cautiously wraps his arms around you. That does it. You break and fling your arms around him tightly, clinging to him as if your life depends on it.

He clings to you just as tightly, his face buried in your neck as he crushes you to his chest.

He’s mumbling apologies over and over again, but you don’t hear them because you’re too busy biting your lip to keep from crying. When you two finally pull away from each other, he wipes away a stray tear from your cheek. “No lies from now on, okay?”

You let out a shaky breath and nod. “Okay,” you say.

“The Boss-”

You press your lips against his in a desperate kiss. You don’t want to think about Boss. Or Geoff. Or what the fuck is going on in the world out there. You just want to focus on your little world. On what’s happening in that room. All you want is to feel him touching you and to cling to him for hours. Once more, you almost lost him. You’re not sure if you can handle it happening again.

Ryan gets the hint and his arms tighten around you, his mouth moving against yours just a earnestly.

He withdraws with a gasp, his eyes shining as he looks down at you. He caresses your bare arms. “You’re naked,” he comments, as if he’s just noticed.

You forgot yourself to be honest. “Oh...yeah,” you say, taking a step back. You’re only clad in your underwear and suddenly even that seems too much. “How about we finish with the emotional rollercoaster and just fuck?”

Ryan’s eyes dance with mirth and he pulls you against him. Suddenly you’re spinning and he’s slamming you against the door before his mouth is on yours. You kiss him back feverishly, biting his bottom lip in the process and soothing it with your tongue. He grunts in response and shoves your underwear down. It slides down your legs and you kick it to the side.

He pulls away panting and he forces you to look at him. “Please tell me,” he says softly.

“Of course I love you,” you tell him. “If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be here right now. I’ve been blinded by love before. Or what I thought was love. When I thought it happened again-”

It’s Ryan’s turn to silence you with a kiss this time. You get the hint and you’re glad he stopped you. You don’t want to cry anymore. At least not from sadness. Pleasure on the other hand…

You reach out and undo his jeans before pulling away to tug his t-shirt over his head. Soon he too is naked and he grips your thighs tightly, forcing you to jump up and wrap your legs around his waist. Just like the first time you had sex. He presses you against the door and pushes into you slowly, his mouth practically crushing yours and his tongue is merciless against yours.

His thrusts are deep and rough, and you’re moving so much against the door your back is hurting. But you don’t care because Ryan is there and he’s fucking you. He let you cool off after getting angry and he didn’t abandon you. There’s a fucking first time for everything.

You cling to him tightly, whimpering as he begins to hit your special spot repeatedly.

One of your hands slides up the back of his neck to tangle into his hair because you’d be damned if he stopped kissing you.

He’s grunting and swearing now, his grip on your thighs so tight it’s leaving markings.

You can feel his body shaking and it’s then that you remember his bullet wound. He’s not going to be able to hold you up for much longer. You let your legs down and he slides out of you so you can move away from the door. You place your hands on his shoulders and push him onto the ground, forcing him onto his back. You crawl onto his lap and take him into your feverish body once more. He groans and throws his head back as his hands slide up to caress your hips.

You set a quicker pace now that you have more leverage. Each time you grind down against him, he arches his back and swears. Seeing him vulnerable and coming completely undone just fuels your determination to reach to finish line with him. You know he’s there when he lets out a loud grunt and sits up, pull you against his chest once more and mashing his lips against yours. Hips moving wildly you shove his hand between your bodies. He wastes no time and drags his thumb in a circle around your clit until you’re exploding also, moaning and swearing into his kisses.

It’s all too much for the both of you and he collapses back onto the floor, pulling you with him.

You remain half sitting, half lying on top of him, your body trembling once again. But this time it’s from adrenaline and after glow. Ryan’s arms circle you tightly and he holds you close as his breathing begins to slow down.

After a few minutes, he trails his fingers up your spine before gently moving your hair away from your face. You pull back slightly to look at him and he rests his forehead against yours.

“Just you and me now,” he says softly. “Fuck the Boss. Fuck the crew. We look out for each other. Okay?”

You let out a shaky breath and nod in agreement. “Just us,” you say. A thought suddenly comes to you and you can’t help but grin impishly.

“I know that look,” he says. “It’s either very good or very bad…”

“What if we don’t tell the others we’re not fighting anymore,” you suggest. “I’m assuming they noticed we weren’t talking earlier. I say we play it up.”

Ryan frowns. “Why?” he asks.

“Well first off, sneaking around in the beginning was fucking amazing,” you admit, earning a laugh from the man underneath you. “But secondly, I don’t know, it would just feel nice to have something that’s just ours again. The whole fucking world seems to be privy to what’s happening in our bedroom and I’m getting really fucking tired of it.”

“Also, Geoff may be more inclined to tell me things if he thinks you and I are no longer close,” Ryan points out.

“That too.”

Ryan smirks at you and places a soft kiss on your jaw. “You’re so devious. Have I ever told you how fucking attractive I find that?”

You laugh. “Not recently, no,” you say, kissing him back.

The tension from earlier seems to melt away as you both lay that way for awhile, sharing soft caresses and kisses.


	16. Chapter 16

Since the Boss declined a truce, it’s finally time for you and the crew to get back at him.

You bring Geoff all the information you have on Boss. It’s going to be a long process robbing the man blind, but someone has to do it.

“What are your thoughts?” Geoff asks. He, Ryan, Jack and you are leaning over a map of Los Santos. The Boss’s businesses are marked with different colored dots.

“We can’t go in a pattern,” you tell them. “Then he will anticipate where we are going and it’ll be a pain. We also have to assume he’s going to up security on everything, so we need to get ahead of it. There’s no way we can make it seem like it’s not us. He’s going to know. My first thought is to hit this office building first.” You point to the one dot that’s further from the others. It’ll be the one he will least suspect us to go for.”

“I disagree,” Ryan says.

You glance up at him and glare. “And why’s that?” you ask icilly. It’s clear to the guys you and Ryan are on the outs. You’re having fun playing it up.

“He knows you,” he says. “He knows that’s where you’ll strike.”

“He doesn’t know me,” you tell him, dropping your gaze to the map. “...he’s not the only one.”

The air is thick with tension, but it’s mostly coming from Geoff and Jack. You don’t have to look at their faces to know they are uncomfortable.

“Is this going to be a problem?” Geoff asks, motioning between you and Ryan.

“No,” Ryan says sharply. “But, I would suggest this other office building. Right in the middle of everything. Less conspicuous. There’s not much, but that’s not the point.”

“What do you think?” Jack asks you.

You sigh heavily and pull back from the map. “Fine, whatever.”

The truth is, either of those locations would work. You and Ryan had discussed it already. You both figure if you’re careful, you can get the crew to do exactly what you want them to do.

“Okay, we go with Ryan’s plan,” Geoff says, as you knew he would. You do your best to look pissed. Ryan doesn’t even glance your way. “It’s an office building so at the least we can get credit card information. Even though what we take doesn’t matter, we have to take something. They may also have some files that could help.”

“We could do an infiltration during the day,” Ryan suggests. “Slip in with the other workers. Get the stuff and leave.”

“Horrible idea. Too risky,” you counter. “I say we strike at night. The place will be closed down. No one will be in the building. We can get what we need and leave without people even knowing we were there.”

“Isn’t the whole point that he knows we did it?” Ryan asks hotly.

“Yeah but the more time we can buy the better,” you say. “Subtly can actually go a long way, Ryan. Not every problem can be solved by charging head first into danger.”

“Says the woman who started a crew war because she was annoyed with her Boss.”

“You mean the guy who had me beaten because I was sleeping with you?”

“You came on to me first! I didn’t put this train on the tracks, but I’m going to drive it!”

“Shut the fuck up! Both of you!” Geoff bellows, effectively cutting off your next retort. “Fox, maybe you should step away.”

“Why do I have to fucking step away?” you snap.

“Because I fucking said so,” Geoff tells you. “And you’re part is done for now. You gave us the information. Let us plan how we use it.”

“Whatever,” you scoffs, pushing away from the table. “This is why I fucking work alone.” You don’t even spare them a backward glance as you march from the room. It’s not until you reach your apartment that you relax. But only a little.

As fun as it is to play up the fighting, it’s also very tiring and draining. Sometimes you get so wrapped up in the anger, it starts to feel real and you need a few minutes to sort out your true feelings from your fake ones. You know Ryan didn’t mean what he said, and the both of you know this war was started way before you got involved.

You move around your apartment for a bit and finish organizing your belongings, mainly to give your hands something to do. As much as you wish you could just stay with Ryan, it wouldn’t work for your cover. You have to stay in your own apartment now. You hate it.

It’s almost an hour later when you hear your door unlock and Ryan slips in.

As soon as you see him, you drop what you’re doing, march over and pull him into a harsh kiss. His arms come around you instantly and his mouth tastes yours hungrily. He pulls back after a moment and his eyes are shining. “He’s not the only one that doesn’t know you?”

You grin. “I thought you’d like that,” you tell him. You reach around him to lock the door. “How was the rest of the meeting?”

“Boring once you left,” Ryan tells you, slipping his hands around your waist. “This fake fighting is fun. Geoff and Jack were genuinely concerned.”

“Did you get a whole speech?” you ask. You detache his hands from your waist, but it’s only so you can pull him over to the couch. He sits down and you climb onto his lap.

“Oh yeah,” he says, his hand sliding up your leg before squeezing your thigh. “The whole ‘we need to be professional’ and ‘once she’s useless, she’s gone’ speech.”

That doesn’t surprise you. “As if I would stay around anyways,” you tell him. “Wait, what do you mean by gone? They planning to bump me off?”

“Oh, god no,” Ryan says with a shake of his head. “As much as a pain in the ass as you are, they wouldn’t hurt you. Especially not because of our history.”

You must not look convinced because he pulls you closer. “Hey, it’s okay,” he says in a hushed voice. “I told you I wouldn’t let anything happen to you again. Remember?”

You let out a sigh. “Yeah, I remember,” you say. You push the hair back from his face. “You need a haircut.”

He smirks and shakes his head so the locks fall back into place. “Nah, I kind of like it this way,” he says with a shrug.

“You’re going to be able to put it in a ponytail soon,” you tell him.

“Nice.”

You shake your head lovingly before leaning in to kiss him again. “I missed you last night,” you say softly, once you pull away.

“I missed you too,” Ryan says. “But everyone is coming and going tonight. I’m all yours.”

“Mmmm, all mine, huh?” you purr, going in for another kiss. “I like the sound of that.”

“I bet you do.”

Lips connect again in an urgent kiss and you practically melt into his lap. After your talk, touching and kissing him feels different. Maybe it’s because neither of you are holding back anymore, or maybe it’s because you’re sneaking around again. Either way, you’re enjoying it and you don’t want it to stop. You pull away from the kiss and slide off his lap. Taking his hands, you pull him to his feet and lead him to the bedroom.

You both shed your clothes along the way, and when you tumble naked onto the soft mattress, you tug him forward into another kiss.

It’s a brief kiss however, because he pulls away. “What’s your plan for after this?”

“I don’t know,” you say with a shrug. “I say we shower, eat something, then go for round two.” You lean up to try and kiss him again.

But he pulls back. “That’s not what I meant,” he says. “I meant after this whole Boss business. When it’s done. What then?”

“Oh.” Honestly, you never really thought about it. “I figured I’d play it by ear.” Ryan looks annoyed at your answer. “What?”

He’s silent for a moment and you wait, somewhat impatiently, for him to respond. “Where do I fit in?”

Understanding dawns on you. “You want to know what happens with us…what are we when this is done?” Ryan’s mouth is drawn into a straight line and he nods. “That’s up to you. I don’t want this to end just because our goal is done. Not sure if you realized this, but you and I could probably take over the world together. We’re kind of a force to be reckoned with.”

Ryan’s worried expression softens and he smiles slightly. “So, this continues?”

You nod. “Of course,” you tell him. “Why wouldn’t it?”

His eyes are searching yours and the look on his face makes you frown slightly. He’s expression has gone unreadable and it’s scaring you slightly. “What? Did you have something else in mind?” You begin to feel a little self-conscious and worried.

“Marry me.”

The two words shock you. You aren’t expecting to hear them, especially not now. But your response shocks you even more. You don’t even hesitate.

“Yes.”

Ryan’s face splits into a smile and he kisses you deeply. The worry you felt in your stomach explodes into something else. It’s more a mixture of feelings. Happiness, surprise, awe, dizziness, nervousness…

Ryan pulls away from you suddenly and scrambles off the bed. “Let’s go.”

“Wait, what? Now? You want to do this tonight?”

“Absolutely,” Ryan says, quickly moving around the room to find his discarded clothes and pull them on. “Why not now? You know how this business is. You know that our future is uncertain. I don’t want to put this off for some date in the future that may or may not come.”

You sit up and watch him dress, your mind racing with so many thoughts it’s hard to keep track. It’s not until Ryan is pulling his socks on that you get out of bed and scramble to find your own clothes.

“Yes!” he says excitedly, when he sees you’re all in.

“Just us, right?” you say grinning back. “That was the plan. Just worry about us?”

“Exactly,” Ryan agrees. He pulls you into a quick kiss. “Okay. You know that little chapel next to the nightclub?”

“Which nightclub? The one we met at?” you ask.

He nods excitedly. “Meet me there in two hours.”

“Two hours?”

“Well we need rings,” Ryan tells you.

You grin and throw your jeans on the ground. “And I do need a dress.”

He kisses you excitedly a few more times before he rushes out of the bedroom. You hear the front door slam as he forgets to leave quietly in his excitement. Your stomach is a bundle of knots and nerves but you don’t care. You rush around, digging through your closet for the perfect dress. You find one all the way in the back. One you bought on a whim and haven’t worn before. It somehow just works perfectly. It’s ivory and stops just above your knee. Something about it screams classic elegance and you get to work dolling yourself up.

You make sure to wear a long trenchcoat when you leave, in case you run into anyone. But luck is on your side and you don’t.

When you’re finally driving towards the chapel, you begin to feel it. That niggle of self-doubt. The small voice in your head that tells you when you’re about to do something stupid. But for once you don’t let it. For once you say ‘fuck you’ to the little voice and go with your gut.

Because your gut tells you this is what you want to do. Your gut tells you that you want to spend the rest of your life with Ryan, no matter how long or short it may be.

You park a few streets away from the chapel and as you walk closer and closer, you begin to grow more nervous. You didn’t see Ryan’s car anywhere near there, but you are a little early. The chapel is quiet tonight and the owner is a short man with a bad comb over. He seems nice however as he politely asks if he can help you.

“Um, I’m supposed to meet my boyfriend…fiance here…” you stutter. You scold yourself. You never stutter. This impromptu wedding has you all jumpy and nervous. You check your phone but you don’t have any missed calls or texts.

The man smiles at you. “Is he a tall man? Blue eyes? Longer hair?”

You nod.

“Right this way.”

You follow the man hesitantly. You suddenly feel like this is a trap and you wish you had grabbed your pistol. But then he ushers you into a small room and you gasp. The room is tiny, but it doesn’t need to be big. It’s tastefully decorated for being in this part of town, but what makes you gasp is the dozens of white roses on every flat service. The lights are dimmed and there is Ryan, dressed in a tailored, black suit with a white tie. “I knew you’d be early,” he says with a grin.

You immediately relax and smile back. You take off your trenchcoat and Ryan’s eyes widen. His mouth falls open slightly and one of his hands rests over his heart. “You look stunning.”

You’re suddenly feeling very shy, but the owner of the chapel gently leads you over to Ryan. You take his outstretched hand and the owner stands in front of you two.

You honestly don’t even listen to words he’s saying. You and Ryan are too busy staring at each other. His eyes are piercing and don’t leave yours until the man asks for the rings. Ryan reaches into his pocket and your breath catches in your throat. Because he didn’t just get wedding bands. He first slides a magnificent diamond on your ring finger, before repeating after the man and sliding the wedding band on.

Then it’s your turn.

You stutter again. You stumble over your words. Your hands shake. But you slide that wedding band on Ryan’s finger.

“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.”

Ryan immediately takes your face in his hands and pulls you forward into a breathtaking and knee-buckling kiss. You fling your arms around him and kiss him back, while the owner of the chapel claps.

After the ceremony, you sign a few papers and then that’s it. You’re married.

Ryan pays the man a large amount of money to make sure your license remains secret and the man is only too happy to oblige.

Instead of heading back to your cars, Ryan leads you to a hotel a block away. He’s thought of everything and you’re impressed he’s done this in two hours. Though, now that you think about it, you wouldn’t be surprised if some of this was planned before then.

The honeymoon suite is actually what you would expect it to be.

Ryan closes the hotel room door and then your hands are all over him, your mouth seeking his desperately as you push his suit jacket off his shoulders. He fumbles with the zipper to your dress and it slips of your frame and pools around your feet.

“We’re married,” he gasps as he pulls away from the kiss.

“Yes we are,” you say with a giggle. You don’t even scold yourself this time for giggling. There’s no time because you need your new husband to make love to you. You drag him over to the bed by his tie. “Fuck me, Mr. Haywood.”

“I will, Mrs. Haywood.”

You shiver. The new name has a powerful effect on you. You climb onto the bed and kick your heels off as you watch Ryan remove the rest of his suit. He doesn’t take his eyes off you as he does. He looks more happy and relaxed than you’ve ever seen him, and even when he’s fully naked you don’t break eye contact with him. He crawls up the bed towards you and you pull him against your body. Your mouths crash together and you roll you both over so you’re straddling him.

“How am I supposed to pretend to be angry with you now?” you ask when you pull away.

Ryan grins up at you. “I was just thinking the same thing,” he says.

“All I want to do is lock you in a bedroom and go at it until the bed breaks,” you groan, trailing kisses along his jaw.

Ryan wraps his arms around you and thrusts up so his twitching erection slides easily between your legs. You both groan. “Less talking,” he orders. “I want to make love to my wife.”

You rock against him just as hard and then you’re kissing again and you forget all about words. After a moment or two, you lift your hips slightly and he slides into you with one smooth stroke.

Your body feels like electricity itself. As you move up and down on his lap, your body erupts with goosebumps and you find yourself twitching with every thrust. Ryan’s hands slide up your thighs and torso until he’s cupping your breasts. He tweaks and gently teases your nipples as you pick up the pace. Usually you close your eyes and just lose yourself in the pleasure.

But not tonight.

Tonight your eyes only want to meet Ryan’s, and he’s right there with you, staring at you with a mix of awe, love, desire and every other emotion he’s capable of feeling. He pulls you against his chest suddenly, taking over your movements and rolling you onto your back again.

His kisses are hard and hot, and his hips are merciless as he pounds into you again and again. Neither of you are quiet. You’re moaning and swearing, and Ryan is grunting and mumbling against your mouth. Half the words you can’t even hear, but you catch a few like “mine”, “beautiful”, “perfect” and several others that make you an absolute quivering mess.

You finish together.

When you do, you arch your back and cling to him desperately, throwing your head back with a cry and a collection of swears. Your nails dig into his back and he doesn’t care because his hips are going a mile a minute and his mouth is leaving bite marks along your neck. He spills himself into you and it’s so sudden and violent, you know there’s going to be a mess. But you don’t fucking care because he’s your husband and you’re his wife.

His body is shaking as well now, and he can’t hold himself up anymore. He reluctantly rolls off of you and brings you with him so you’re sprawled across his chest.

“Just us,” he pants, arms still wrapped tightly around you.

“Just us,” you agree.


	17. Chapter 17

You stare at the wall of the hotel room.

You’re still laying in bed, Ryan spooned behind you, his arm draped over your waist. He fell asleep shortly after the second round of lovemaking. You didn’t. The night is almost over and you’re still wide awake.

In terms of the most impulsive things you’ve ever done, this pretty much tops everything ever. And that’s saying something.

Ryan’s face is buried in your hair and his soft breath tickles your ear. His chest is pressed against your back and you can practically feel his heart beating. You reach down and tangle your fingers with his, bringing his hand up and placing a soft kiss on his knuckles. He mumbles sleepily and he moves in his sleep, clutching you tighter to him.

You have no idea what happens now.

Part of you wants to run. Not alone. God no. You want Ryan to get in the car with you and just drive far, far away. Away from the crew. Away from the Boss. Away from fucking Los Santos. You can’t stand living here anymore. You and Ryan could do it. You could leave and start a whole new life, just the two of you. This life is tiring. You never realized it until you wanted something more. And that something more is currently snuggled against your back, sleeping soundly.

But he would never go.

Not now at least. Because even though you aren’t part of the crew, and even though he is pissed at Geoff and not longer trusts him, the guys are still his friends and he wouldn’t abandon them.

You sigh heavily and tuck Ryan’s hand under your chin. Your eyes begin to droop and you allow yourself to fall into a troubled sleep.

It’s only a few hours later when you drag your eyes open again.

You are now turned towards Ryan, your face resting against his chest. His arms are around you and his hand is tracing light trails up and down your arm. “Good morning,” he says softly when he realizes you’re awake.

“Morning,” you mutter, sleepily.

“Did you get much sleep?”

When did he get to know you so well?

“Some.”

You feel his beard scratch your forehead as his lips brush against you in a feather-light kiss. “I know what you’re thinking,” he says.

“Oh? Is that so?” you ask with a slight chuckle. You look up at him and find his blue eyes already peering down at you, his eyebrows drawn together in worry.

“We have to see this thing through,” Ryan says.

You sigh heavily and pull away from his warm embrace. The comforter slides down your naked torso, but you don’t mind the chilliness of the room. It actually makes you feel a little better, even though your arms are now covered with goosebumps. Ryan sits up with you, his chin coming to rest on your shoulder. He says your name and you sigh.

“I know,” you tell him. “I just…once we leave this room, we have a choice. We can get in my car and just go. Leave everything behind. Or we can go back to our separate cars, drive back to the guys, and pretend like we hate each other again.”

Ryan places a soft kiss on your neck. “If we leave now, you’ll never be safe from the Boss,” he says. “And I can’t stand the thought of you constantly looking over your shoulder.”

You give him a wry smile. “You didn’t mind me looking over my shoulder last night when you were kneeling behind me…”

Ryan smirks back and his arms circle around your waist, warming your cold frame. “That’s different,” he says. “That involved me being buried deep inside of you. Something I would very much like to do again before we have to leave.”

You reach over and place your hand on his cheek before guiding him forward into a kiss. He follows through with the motion eagerly, pulling you back so you’re laying with him again. He draws the blankets up to cover you both. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” you tell him. “I don’t know if we have time for another round though. If we’re going to go back, we’ll need to leave at separate times to avoid the guys seeing us together.”

It’s Ryan’s turn to sigh and he looks torn. “Yeah, true,” he says. You both remain silent for a moment. “So…we’re married now.”

You can’t help the large grin. “That we are,” you say. “And once this is all over, I expect a proper honeymoon. Not a quick one either. I want at least a month, just the two of us, at an island resort, where we’ll do nothing but eat, sleep and fuck on the beach.”

Ryan laughs before placing a kiss on your forehead. “Sounds good to me,” he says. He reluctantly pulls away from you and moves to get out of bed. “I don’t want to go. But you’re right. We need to be smart about this. You stay and get some more sleep. I’m sure Geoff is going to be texting me soon to find out where I am. We’re hitting that business tonight.”

Oh yeah, reality.

“Fine,” you say with a pout. You roll onto your side to watch him, propping your head against your hand. “Any chance they’ll ask me to come along?”

“Probably,” Ryan says, walking across the room to the closet. You admire his naked form as he moves. You really wish he didn’t have to go because you would be all over that again. He opens the door and pulls out a bag of clothes. You sadly watch him dress, and once he’s done he puts the bag on the armchair. “There’s stuff for you in here too.”

“How do you have some of my clothes?” you ask with a frown.

“It’s mostly stuff you left at my place,” Ryan says, sitting on the edge of the bed to pull his socks on. “I keep the bag in my car. You know, just in case.”

You sit up and crawl over to where he’s sitting. It’s your turn to wrap your arms around him. “I wish it didn’t have to be like this,” you say softly.

He brings your hand up to his lips and places a soft peck on the back of your knuckles, making you smile and think of earlier when you did the same to him. “Me too,” he says. “We’ll get through this.” He lets go of you and reaches into his pocket, pulling out a simple, gold chain. You’re confused at first, until he takes off his wedding band and slips it onto the necklace. He reaches up to put the necklace on.

“Here,” you take the ends of the chain from him and carefully clasp it around his neck. He really has thought of everything. “How long have you been planning this?”

“Since I got shot,” Ryan says. He tucks the ring and chain under his t-shirt. You can barely see it. “There’s one for you in the bag.”

He stands and turns to face you. The sadness and regret on his face is almost too much to bare. You rise to your knees and slide your arms around his neck. He slides his around your waist and you both kiss. It’s just a short kiss, but it’s enough to make you swoon and wish you could just take him into bed with you. When he pulls back, he gently caresses your cheek. “It’s been a pleasure, Mrs. Haywood.”

You smile and your stomach does that butterfly thing you always read about. “Damn right it has.”

You watch him leave the hotel room and as soon as the door closes, it’s like part of your heart has left. You don’t even know how else to describe it. You sit on the bed for a few moments, your fingers tracing your mouth as if you’re trying to hold on to the feeling of his lips against yours. You’re not going back to sleep. There’s no way you can.

\--

Hours later you arrive at the apartment. It’s busier than usual and you mentally prepare yourself before putting the car in park, grabbing your iced coffee and getting out. You stalk across the parking lot casually.

“Where the hell have you been?” Michael asks as you walk into the lobby.

“Out,” you answer. “What’s going on?”

“Just prep for tonight,” Michael says, motioning down the hall. The room where they plan their heists is just beyond the infirmary and people are going in and out.

“It’s just one business, is all this really necessary?” you ask, taking your sunglasses off and perching them on top of your head. You take a sip of your iced coffee, but barely taste it.

“They didn’t tell you?” Michael asks.

Your stomach drops. You hate when people say that phrase. “No,” you say slowly. “What the fuck is going on?”

“We’re hitting both buildings at the same time,” Michael says. “Me, Geoff and Ray are going to the one on the outskirts and Ryan, Jack and Gavin are hitting the other one.”

You don’t like the sound of that at all. “That’s a terrible idea,” you say, turning towards the hallway. “You shouldn’t split up. We have to be careful with this.”

“I wouldn’t go in there if I were you,” Michael says, following close behind. “Geoff really doesn't want to see you right now.”

“I don’t give two flying fucks what he wants,” you say, marching down the hall.

“Fox, seriously, stop for a second,” Michael says, grabbing your arm to keep you from going any further. “Barging in there now is not going to change anything. This is the way is going to be. Sorry you don’t fucking like it, but tough shit. There’s no point in arguing. Geoff is already on the fence about bringing you along. You go in there now, you’ll get left behind.”

“Is Ryan in there?” you ask before you can stop yourself.

“Yeah, him and Geoff have been in there since this morning,” Michael says. He eyes you for a moment. “Look, I don’t know what happened between you two and I don’t want to get involved, but this is what he and Geoff do. They plan the shit, we do the shit. They know what their doing.”

In your heart you know Michael is right. That’s what makes everything so frustrating. You also don’t like the sudden change in plans. It throws a wrench in the plans you and Ryan carefully laid out. You make a noise of frustration. “So what am I supposed to do, Michael?” you ask. “Just sit on my ass and wait for Geoff to summon me?”

Michael shrugs. “I guess,” he says. “I’m not trying to tell you what to do. But I actually think you’re okay and figured I’d give you some advice.”

You feel he’s sincere and you sigh heavily. “Alright,” you say. Seeing Ryan right now would only make things harder anyway. “I’ll be in my apartment if they need me.”

It takes all your willpower to turn back to the elevators, but you manage to make it up to your apartment without giving in and going back. You close the door behind you and throw your empty cup in the trash. You make your way to your desk and pull out the photos of the shipping manifests you and Ryan took from the liquor store. You have looked at them over a thousand times by now, but you’re still hoping to catch something you didn’t see before.

It’s still just a bunch of numbers and random words to you. However, this time when you look at it, you notice something is off.

At first you thought it might just be a speck of dust or other imperfection with the photo, but when you lean closer, you notice a small symbol next to some of the shipments. No, not really a symbol. It could be a letter. It looks like a “W”, or an “M”? You can’t be sure.

There is a hurried knock on the door and you get to your feet instantly to open it.

Ryan pushes into the room. “Hey, don’t have much time,” he says. “There’s been a change to the plan.”

“I know, Michael told me,” you say angrily. “What the fuck is Geoff thinking?”

Ryan looks just as angry as you do. “I have no fucking clue,” he says. “I’ve spent the whole morning trying to convince him to do it the way we planned before but he’s not listening. Something’s up. I don’t know what but no matter what I say he won’t budge. I’m sorry, I tried.”

You shake your head. “No, don’t apologize, it’s not your fault,” you say, stepping up to him and taking his face between your hands. “We both should have figured things wouldn’t go according to plan. We don’t have that kind of luck.”

Ryan gives your a rueful smile. “No, no we don’t,” he says, placing his hands on yours. He stares at you for a moment and his smile softens. “Hey wife.”

You roll your eyes affectionately. “Hey husband,” you say. “So what’s our next move.”

“I say we go with what Geoff has planned, and once we sift through the information we get, you and I can hit the liquor shop ourselves,” he says.

You bite your lip in thought. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” you ask, your hands slipping from his cheeks. “Remember what I said about the whole having shit luck thing?”

“I’ve got it planned, we’ll be fine,” Ryan assures you.

You can’t squash the feeling of doubt, but for once you don’t want to argue. “Hey, can you check this out for a second?” you ask, motioning to your desk. “I was going through those photos again and I think I found something.” You lead him over and show him the letter you found on some of the manifests. “What does this look like to you?

Ryan’s eyes must be better than yours because he barely squints at it before saying, “Looks like the letter ‘W’. But this one over here looks like an ‘M’. Do you think it’s important?”

“At this point we’re grasping at straws,” you say, running a hand through your hair and taking your sunglasses off the top of your head. You toss them onto the desk. “It’s worth looking out for. I have a feeling we’re not going to be teamed up tonight.”

“Which is unfortunate,” Ryan says, sliding his arms around your waist.

You moan at the contact and turn around to kiss him. His mouth works yours expertly and he lifts you onto the desk. His hands move up to undo the buttons of your shirt and you begin to unzip his pants. However, before he can even get your shirt half-way unbuttoned, your phone vibrates. He groans angrily into the kiss and you both pull away reluctantly.

“It’s Geoff,” you say, picking the phone up to look at the screen. “He wants to brief me.”

“Of course he does,” Ryan says. He steps back and allows you to hop down from the desk.

“I can’t imagine the talk will take long,” you say, buttoning your shirt back up. “Are you going to be here when I get back?”

Ryan shakes his head sadly, pulling the zipper of his jeans up. “Nah, I have some planning to do with Jack,” he says. “I probably won’t see you again until after we get back.”

You pull him into another kiss. “Be careful,” you tell him once your lips part.

“You too,” Ryan says.

You both stand there for a moment holding each other, until your phone vibrates again and you make an angry noise in the back of your throat. “Until tonight, then,” you say.

“Until tonight.”


	18. Chapter 18

When you enter the room, Geoff is alone.

This makes you uneasy.

You walk in and he looks up from the map he’s pouring over. “Hey, close the door,” he says. You don’t answer, you just do as he says. Once the door is shut, you make your way over to the table.

“There’s been a change in plans,” Geoff explains.

“I know,” you say. “I ran into Michael in the lobby.”

Geoff’s eyes search yours and you wonder if he’s waiting for you to explode or argue with him...again. But you keep your emotions in check this time and you say nothing. Even though you know you won’t be going with Ryan’s group to the building, you don’t want to get left behind either. The way you see it, splitting you and Ryan up is actually better for your cause. Both of you know what to look for and if neither of you is at the second location, the guys may miss it.

“We’re hitting both business at once,” Geoff tells you.

“Yeah I know,” you tell him again. “Can I ask why?” Geoff looks somewhat defensive, but your tone is so calm and neutral, he is forced to speak calmly as well.

“It’s just better this way,” he says. “We can cover more ground and smaller groups move quicker than a larger one.”

You can follow his logic, even if you don’t agree with it. “Okay, what do you need from me?” you ask.

“You’re coming with me, Gavin and Michael,” Geoff says. “You’ll know where to look for the useful stuff. You know the Boss better than any of us.”

You can’t help yourself. “Do I though, Geoff?” you ask, crossing your arms across your chest.

He glances up at you. “My past is my business,” he says in a low voice.

“Yeah, but you’ve had dealings with the Boss in said past and you lied about it,” you call him out. “Everyone thinks this whole thing is personal with me. But I was originally hired to get information on you and your crew. And the file Boss gave me had way more than it usually does for my jobs. So, you can imagine my concern and suspicion.”

Geoff looks back down and rubs his eyes with one hand. “Yes,” he admits. “I used to know him. Briefly. Years ago. Way before I even met any of the guys. He wanted to do things one way, I wanted to do them another. So we severed tied.”

“You were partners?” you ask.

“Unofficially,” Geoff says. “And that’s all I have to say on the subject. Back to the job at hand…”

He gives you the rundown of what to expect. It’s a pretty standard breaking and entering. The guys have been scouting for security and whatnot, so that part is already under control. Even though it doesn’t look like there is going to be trouble, you’re still relieved to learn everyone will be armed. Once you know your job, you nod in agreement.

“Sounds easy enough,” you say. “That it?”

Geoff stands up straight and shoves his hands in his pockets. “No,” he says. “There’s one more thing.”

“What?”

“You and Ryan.”

Your heart skips a beat, but you manage an eyeroll. “We’re trying to be better,” you tell him. It’s hard to keep your voice from shaking. “We’re not going to keep arguing in front of you guys-”

“That’s not it,” Geoff says. When he doesn’t continue, your mouth suddenly runs dry. Does he know? Did he figure it out? The chain around your neck suddenly weighs a thousand pounds and your wedding band almost feels hot against your chest. You fight the urge to reach up and play with it. “When this whole thing with Boss is done, you need to leave.”

“Believe me, I will,” you say, holding your hands up in surrender. “I’ll be out of the building as soon as I’m safe.”

“No, not just the building,” Geoff says shaking his head. “You need to leave Los Santos.”

His bluntness is surprising. You honestly never expected it from him. “Why?” you ask. “Once Boss is taken care of, I’m safe. And you don’t have to worry about me bothering you guys again.”

“It’s not you I’m worried about,” Geoff says. “It’s Ryan. You two may not be together anymore, but that doesn’t mean he won’t risk himself for you. He’s already taken a bullet for you. He’s my friend. We’ve been through hell and back. Even if you leave here, he will still keep an eye on you.”

_You have no idea._

You don’t say anything out loud however. You just stare Geoff down. “I’ve never asked him to risk himself for me.” This is the truth.

He gives you a wry smile. “You don’t have to,” he says.

You’re silent for a moment, mulling over Geoff’s words. “Fine,” you say. “I will leave. But I am the one to tell him. I owe him that at least.”

Geoff shakes his head. “Not a chance,” he says. “You leave without a word. Disappear. Otherwise he will try to stop you. I will triple your payment if you do.”

You don’t care about the money anymore. In truth, you forgot they even owed you anything. But you can’t let Geoff know. As far as he’s aware, you are still in this for yourself. “Okay.”

Geoff nods, a small, sad smile on his face. “Okay.” You turn to leave. “I’m sorry it has to be this way.”

“So am I, Geoff,” you say, before opening the door and leaving the room. “So am I.”

\--

You sit quietly next to Gavin as Geoff drives you, him and Michael a few blocks away from the building you’re going to hit. It’s just a simple office building. Some boring old insurance company the Boss loosely owns. It was picked as a target mainly for its location. But Ryan thinks if the Boss is shipping something, he needs insurance for it. It’s a long shot, but that’s not really the point.

You didn’t get to see Ryan. He texted you before they left and once you’re alone you’re supposed to text him to let him know you’re safe. You doubt you’ll get much time alone however. Geoff’s been keeping a close eye on you, and you haven’t even left the car yet.

Once you and the guys park, you exit the car and make your way quietly to the right street.

“What do you think this Boss guy is really up to?” Gavin asks, breaking the tense silence.

“Fuck if I know,” Michael says with a shrug.

“Whatever it is, it can’t be good,” Geoff says. “Fox, any insight?”

You can feel their eyes on you, but you’re too busy scanning the street for anything suspicious. “No clue,” you say. “It could be guns, could be drugs...both. It has to be something big, otherwise he wouldn’t be going through all this shit. Either way, we need to put a stop to it.”

The street looks empty and none of you see signs of surveillance. The building is locked up and it doesn’t even have a security guard.

Geoff leads you around the back. You make your way to the loading dock and he and Michael make quick work of the backdoor. Everything is dark and silent. The four of you stand still for a moment, listening and waiting. When you hear nothing, Geoff whispers. “Gavin, you and Fox take the top floor, me and Michael will take the bottom floor.”

“What should we look for?” Gavin asks.

“Just grab whatever you can,” Geoff says. “This is an insurance company. Grab all personal files you can find. We meet back here in exactly twenty minutes.”

“Remember,” you tell them. “This isn’t about what we’re getting, it’s about taking the Boss’s shit away from him.” You ignore the look Geoff sends your way as you follow Gavin in the opposite direction than Michael and Geoff.

You and Gavin don’t even talk. The first few offices don’t have anything of value. It looks like they belong to some lower level clerks who handle petty cases. The more you move about the floor however, the more nervous you get. Minutes are passing quickly and you don’t want to leave completely empty-handed. “Maybe we should split up,” you suggest. You’re sure Gavin is going to protest, but he just nods.

“Yeah, good idea,” he says. “We’re not getting anywhere this way.” He takes the left side of floor while you take the right. You pay attention to the signs on the wall, checking out people’s name plates and titles. You realize you’re moving to the higher up offices and you practically run down the hall until you reach an open area with cubicles. There is only one separate office left and you quickly go in.

It looks like the general manager’s office and you quietly shuffle through the files that you can see on the desk, but they are useless. You sit down at the computer and are happy to see the screen brighten instantly. Whoever’s office this belongs to was dumb enough to leave it on. You pull a flash drive out of your jacket pocket and plug it into the USB port. Without pausing to open any files, you immediately start copying all the ones you can find. While the computer catches up, you search the office some more.

Your phone vibrates and you answer it immediately. “Hello?”

“Just got back,” Ryan says. He sounds exhausted. “No trouble, but I’m not sure if any of this information is going to help. How are you doing?”

“I think I have something,” you say.

“What is it?”

Before you can answer him, you hear a commotion outside and your stomach drops. “Can’t talk, somethings wrong.”

“What’s wrong?” Ryan asks quickly.

“Gotta go. Love you.” You manage to slip the phone back in your pocket a second before the door opens. It’s Gavin.

“We have to go,” he says. “We have company.”

“I just need a few more seconds,” you tell him. “The files are almost done copying.”

You notice he has his gun drawn and you break out in a cold sweat. You fucking hate guns. “Now, Fox,” Gavin says, glancing out the door. “I have no idea where Geoff and Michael are. We need to go!”

“Done, done,” you say, grabbing the flash drive. You pull your gun out and follow Gavin into the cubicle area. You hear shooting and loud voices downstairs.

“Shite!” Gavin swears. “What do we do now?”

You notice an emergency exit. “This way,” you tell him.

“I’ll cover you,” he says.

Walking nearly back to back, you and Gavin make your way through the cubicles and towards the emergency exit. But before you can make it, you hear the voices grow louder and Gavin pulls you to the ground. “Down!”

A few bullets fly by and one grazes your shoulder. You and Gavin shoot back, while trying to dodge and weave through the cubicles. You manage to take a few men out, but you can’t get a clear enough shot to see how many there actually are. However, between you and Gavin, you incapacitate enough so you can make it to the exit. You and Gavin run down the stairs as fast as you possibly can. It seems the men you encountered were all of them because you don’t come against any other resistance.

Geoff and Michael are running out of another exit and you guys don’t stop to talk. You book it back to the car. It’s not until you’re speeding down the highway that Michael bursts out, “What the fuck was that?”

“Random security check?” you suggest.

Geoff slams his hands on the wheel. “Mother fucker!” he shouts. “Did we at least get anything?”

Michael and Gavin pull physical files out of their jackets, and since Gavin is looking at you expectedly you have no choice but to hold up the flash drive.

“Let’s hope this wasn’t a complete waste of time,” Geoff grumbles. You slip the flash drive back into your pocket...right next to the real one. You’re always prepared. You’re not worried about the dummy files on it, since they don’t seem to know what to look for anyways.

The rest of the drive back home is dead silent. Even when you get back to the apartment building and get out of the car, no one speaks. Ray is waiting for you guys and opens the front doors as you come up. “Hope you guys got more than we did,” he says.

“More than we expected,” Geoff says. referring to the men with guns. Michael and Gavin hand him the files and you hand him the flash drive. “I need a fucking drink. Alright, let’s take a few minutes and regroup later.”

Your walk to your apartment is quick. When you’re finally in your bedroom, you let out a heavy sigh. You don’t know how much more of this your nerves can take. This job is weighing on you in a big way. You ease yourself out of your jacket. Your shoulder is on fire where the bullet grazed and you know you’re going to be sore for awhile. You strip off your clothes and go into the bathroom. You just want to take a long hot shower and go to sleep. You don’t care if you skip the regrouping later. You turn the water on and while you wait for it to heat up, you examine your wound. It’s a little deeper than you thought and when you touch it, it begins to bleed. You give an annoyed sigh and climb into the shower.

You’re not in there for more than a few seconds before you hear footsteps in your bedroom. After a moment, the bathroom door creaks open softly and the footsteps move closer.

Ryan slips into the shower behind you and you turn to greet him.

He pulls you against his chest and his lips descend on yours instantly. Your arms around his neck and you press your wet, naked body flush against his. “Hi,” you breath out softly when you pull back from the kiss.

“They told me what happened,” he says quietly. His eyebrows have that adorable wrinkle between them that he gets when he’s worried. His eyes wander to your shoulder and he lets you go so he can examine it.

“It’s just a graze,” you say, waving it off. You take a moment to examine his healing bullet wound and your fingers gently run over the raised flesh. It’s scabbing over, but it hasn’t bleed in days. The area around it is bruised, but even those are beginning to fade. Your own body still has some lingering bruises from the Boss’s beatdown. “We’re a mess.”

Ryan gives a slight chuckle. “That’s an understatement,” he says. You two stare at each other, both happy to be safe for the moment.

“Ryan,” you say softly. Something in your tone makes his smile fade.

“Yeah?”

“When this is done,” you tell him. “Geoff told me to leave town.” You can see his anger flare, but that’s not the point of your conversation. “And I want to.”

“I know,” Ryan says. “I owe you that honeymoon.”

“No,” you say, shaking your head. “Not just for the honeymoon. I want to leave here all together. Just...you and me. Away from all of this.”

Ryan blinks a few times. “Oh,” he says. He’s quiet for a second before he opens his mouth to answer. But you stop him, placing your finger on his lips.

“Don’t answer yet,” you tell him. “I don’t want you to answer until this is all over.”

“Why?” Ryan asks.

“Because I feel like whatever you say now is only in response to the danger we’re in,” you tell him. “Hell, it’s why we got married. But I want to make sure that you still feel this way when the danger is gone. If it ever will be...”

“But my answer isn’t going to change,” Ryan assures you. “I-”

You lean forward and kiss him, effectively cutting off what he is going to say. His arms come back around your waist and he turns to press you against the cold tile of the shower wall. You’re both panting when you pull away. “Please,” you plead.

He sighs heavily, but he doesn’t keep talking. Instead he nods and goes in for another kiss. You feel his cock nudge your thigh and you reach down to grasp him firmly. He moans and takes half a step back to give you more room. After stroking him for a few seconds, you drop to your knees. You don’t bother teasing him this time and instead, you take him into your mouth instantly. His fingers tangle in your wet hair as you work your lips up and down his shaft.

Ryan groans when you do.

His hips soon begin to move along with your mouth and you both set a steady rhythm. You take in all you can, and what you can’t you stroke firmly.

You’re not down there for very long before Ryan pulls you away and makes you stand. He presses you against the wall again and grips your thigh as he lifts your leg. You wrap your leg around him as he slides into you, his mouth dropping to your neck.

The angle is awkward and you know you would be able to stand that way for long, but there’s no way you’re going to tell him to stop. His tongue traces your collarbone as he moves in and out of you with steady, deep thrusts.

Your hands claw at him before one slides into his hair.

It’s not long before you're shaking from holding yourself up and it feels like Ryan is struggling to stay standing as well. “Floor?” you pant.

Ryan pulls away from you and you place your hands on his shoulders, pushing him onto the floor of the tub. You clamber onto his lap and take him into yourself again. You can’t even feel the water beating on you anymore. Ryan’s eyes never leave yours as you move against him. Your bodies slide together effortlessly. One of his hands moves up to cup your cheek. You lean forward and kiss him hungrily.

“I love you,” you pant, your lips still touching. Ryan’s other hand comes to cup your other cheek and he holds your face there.

“I will always love you,” he says.

Something snaps inside of you and you realize the water running down your face is tears. Suddenly the gravity of the situation hits you like a ton of bricks. You can’t even see the concern in Ryan’s face because your eyes are filled with tears and you collapse against his chest, sobbing. Ryan’s arms come around you and he hugs you tightly.

You both stop moving, but you can’t stop the tears.

Ryan pushes the wet hair out of your face. “I’ll go with you,” he whispers. “I swear, I will leave with you when this is all over.”

You don’t answer, and he doesn’t say anything further. He just holds you until the water runs cold.


	19. Chapter 19

Rough, strong hands slide across your skins, causing you to stir.

You mumble sleepily and roll onto your back. You slowly open your eyes in time to see Ryan’s face looming over yours. “Hmmm?” you mumble. You’re so warm and comfortable, and even though your sleep was restless, you don’t want to get up yet.

Ryan doesn’t answer. He smiles lovingly at you before his lips descend to your neck. “Ohhhh,” you purr with a lazy smile.

“We never got to finish what we started last night,” he says softly into your ear, his hand sliding down your hip and under the covers. After you had gotten out of the shower you both were required to meet with the other guys and go through the information you gathered. It took forever and you never got the chance to go through the real flash drive. By the time Ryan had come to bed, you were already fast asleep.

“Mmm, no, no we didn’t,” you groan.

“I want to do dirty things to you,” Ryan growls.

“You better get started,” you tell him.

His eyebrow goes up and the sexiest smirk crosses his face. He drags his lips along your collarbone and his hand moves between your legs. You stretch into his touch and let out a soft groan. Ryan’s mouth trails to your breast and his tongue snakes around your nipple, causing warmth to spread throughout your body. His two fingers rub tantalizingly along your slit. You hum with satisfaction and practically melt into the pillows. As far as ways to be woken up, this is definitely the best.

Ryan’s breath is hot against your skin as he moves down, trailing kisses and small licks as he does.

When his tongue drags along your wet mound, you inhale sharply and grip the bedsheets. Ryan lifts your leg over his shoulder and massages his lips swiftly against your quivering flesh. His tongue is gentle, yet firm at the same time and your hands seek his shaggy hair. At first his longer hair bothered you. Now, you’ve gotten used to it and the overall scruffy look he has is really working for you.

You clamp your thighs around his head and can’t help but twitch and thrash against the bed.

Ryan slides a finger into you just as his tongue flicks your clit and you gasp loudly.

“I love when you lose control,” he mutters against your flesh.

You chuckle. “Trust me,” you say through gasps. “You haven’t seen me lose control yet.”

“There’s still time…” Ryan tells you, his lips moving to your inner thigh. He sucks on the soft skin greedily, leaving a small purple bruise. “I want to spend the rest of my day knowing that’s there.” He kisses his way back up your torso, his finger gently sliding out of you. His cock drags along the thigh he just marked.

“How about you just fuck me already?” you ask impatiently.

He laughs, his eyes sparkling as they gaze into yours. One hand lifts your leg slightly to spread them open. “Yes, Mrs. Haywood.” A shiver automatically runs through your body and he takes that moment to slide into you.

You both let out twin moans and his mouth is on your neck again. His hips move in slow, deep thrusts and you trace patterns on his sweaty back. Every few thrusts he adds an extra, deeper one and you begin to twitch and move your hips along with his. Ryan’s lips seek yours and you kiss him back enthusiastically, your fingers tangling in the locks at the base of his neck. Your legs move around his waist and every time he pulls back, you pull him in again as you clench around him.

Ryan stops kissing you, but it’s only so he can catch his breath. Your forehead rests against his and you’re so in-sync it’s like you're breathing as one person, not two.

He doesn’t need to touch you for your release. It comes swiftly on the heels of his own.

His hips slow their movements until he eventually stops. But he doesn’t get off of you right away. Instead he kisses you again and his hand moves up to push the hair back from your face. “When this is all over, we’ll go away, just me and you,” he says.

“Promise?” you ask, before you can stop yourself.

A large, soft smile crosses Ryan’s face. “I promise.”

You smile back and he slides off of you so he can cuddle you. “You don’t have anywhere to be?”

He shakes his head. “Geoff was pretty drunk last night so he’s sleeping in,” he says. “The guys are busy going through their information and taking a day to rest. I’m all yours.”

You nuzzle your face in his chest. “Mmmm, just the way I like it,” you say, smirking up at him.

He leans down to give you a soft kiss. “I really mean it,” he says. “I will go with you.”

“Yeah?” you ask, hating how happy and hopeful you sound. It’s so unlike you, and yet you can’t help but be both those things when he’s around.

“Yeah,” he says nodding. “I love you. This life...as great as the money is, I want more. And I want more with you. Just us, remember?”

You smile and let your shoulders release the tension you didn’t even know you were carrying. “Just us,” you tell him. “And I never said we give up stealing shit. I just said we give up Los Santos.”

Ryan gives you his deep belly laugh and you can’t help but grin like an idiot. “What? Like an awesome husband and wife criminal team?” he asks.

“Um, yes please,” you say. “Think of all the fancy stuff all over the world that is just begging to be stolen.”

“Where would we live?” he asks.

You shrug. “Who fucking cares?” you ask. “As long as it’s just the two of us, and I can get to the beach every once in awhile, I don’t care where we live. I just want to be with you. And have the opportunity to fuck you on the previously mentioned beach.”

“Sounds good to me,” Ryan says, his hand lightly sliding down your arm. “Unfortunately my love, we have work to do. We should go through those files you found.”

You groan and roll over, burying your face in the pillow. “No.” Your response is muffled. You feel his fingers gently move up your sides and then he’s tickling you mercilessly. You laugh and screech, trying to bat him away as you roll out of bed. “Fine! Fine!”

You begrudgingly get out of bed and pull clothes on and he does the same. An hour later you're sorting through the files on the flash drive, while Ryan fixes you a cup of coffee. Most of what you’re looking at doesn’t seem to be very helpful. There are some life insurance policies and some policies for valuables, but you’re not sure what type of filing and codes they use so it takes you awhile to sort through it all.

Ryan comes over to sit next to you and you take the coffee gratefully. “Here, let me,” he says, sliding the laptop away from you. He can tell you’re getting a little overwhelmed, and you thankfully let him take over. “So we’re going to need new names on the run.” He clicks through things so quickly you can barely keep up.

“Fox is kind of growing on me,” you say with a shrug before taking a sip of your coffee.

“Don’t you think the guys will look for someone named ‘Fox’?” Ryan asks.

“So what?” you say. “Do you think they will come after us?”

“Probably not,” Ryan admits. “So I just need a codename then.”

You laugh. “Ryan, you don’t need a codename,” you tell him.

“But you get a codename,” Ryan says with a mock pout.

You roll your eyes. “Yeah, that you gave me,” you mutter under your breath.

He shrugs and looks back at the computer. “I’ll think of one,” he says. You chuckle and go back to your coffee. “Here, I think I found something.” You put your coffee mug down on the table and scoot your chair to get a better look. “It’s the M and the W again.”

You squint at the screen as you read and something doesn’t seem right. “Wait…” you read a little more and your eyes grow wide as realization dawns on you. “Oh my god.”

“What?”

You pull over the stack of photos on your desk. “Look, this these numbers match,” you tell him. You point to the shipping manifests. There’s a written column on each of them that have the same number as those of the insurance policies.

“Oh my god,” Ryan repeats. “He’s shipping...people?”

“Human trafficking,” you confirm. “The ‘M’ and the ‘W’...”

“Men and Women…” Ryan finishes.

You feel incredibly sick to your stomach. You and Ryan sit there in stunned silence until finally you clear your throat. “We need to get into that liquor store tonight,” you urge him. “If this is actually what is happening…” You can’t even finish your thought. You knew the Boss was a sick, twisted man. But you had no idea just how bad it was.

“Okay, we need to be careful,” Ryan says after a few moments of tense silence.

“I know we said we would do this alone,” you say. “But do you think the guys should be brought in?”

Ryan shakes his head. “No, if the Boss is keeping people in that shop, if we go in there all at once we risk them being harmed,” he says.

You don’t like the idea of just you and Ryan going in alone now. This thing just got a hundred times bigger than the both of you. But Ryan has more experience than you do. At least when it comes to actually breaking in to places. You’re not sure how you’re going to avoid tipping off the Boss, but if he is selling people, you have to try to put a stop to it. 

You sit in silence for awhile. Your brain can’t even process the information you just discovered. You look over at Ryan and he’s starting at the laptop. But his eyes aren’t moving so you know he’s not reading. “Okay,” he eventually says. “Here’s what we’re going to do…”

\--

It takes a lot of work to sneak out of the apartment building at the same time, but somehow you and Ryan manage it. You bounce your foot nervously as he peels out of the parking lot. You have no idea what you’re going to find at the liquor shop, but considering what happened the last time you were in there, and Boss’s reaction to your knowledge of it, you can only assume it’s crucial to their operation. Maybe it’s the hub of the whole thing, or maybe it’s just a stop. Either way you have to find out.

“We stick together on this,” Ryan orders. His voice is serious and almost cold and it makes your stomach churn unpleasantly.

“I know,” you tell him. “God Ryan, what did we do? What did we get ourselves into?”

“This wasn’t our fault,” he begins.

“Don’t,” you interrupt. “Don’t try to spin this. We may not have started it, but we didn’t help. We made it worse. You were shot, I was beaten, we’ve been shot at…”

“Hey, this is the Boss’s own doing,” Ryan says firmly, tearing his eyes off the road for a second to glance in your direction. “I’m not saying we’re innocent in this. God no. But he was the asshole who decided to sell people. Not us. If we don’t stop him, no one will.”

You take a deep breath and clutch your wedding ring under your shirt. But you say nothing else. Ryan remains silent as well, but he does reach over to lay a comforting hand on your knee.

When you make it to the liquor shop, you park in a different alley from the one before. Obviously they are watching that one. Ryan’s idea was to go in through the roof top. It’s a little trickier, but the Boss’s men will most likely be confined to the ground so it should buy you some time. You climb up the fire escape to an apartment complex three buildings down from the shop. The roof tops are close enough together so you should be able to jump or scale down the wall without getting hurt.

You both are so quick and silent, it’s actually pretty impressive. You’d be throwing confident remarks at him, if it wasn’t for the mortal danger you are in. You make it to the roof of the liquor shop and you set to work opening the latch to the door. It’s more of an emergency exit, but it’ll still work. Once it’s open, Ryan grabs your legs tightly and you lower your top half down the hatch and into the shop to look around.

They definitely upped security. You still don’t see cameras, but when you squint you notice small round lights on various points on the walls, near the floor. Motion sensors.

“What do you see?” Ryan whispers.

“Sensors,” you say. “But they only reach the floor. We’ll need to climb on the furniture and see if we can get to the control panel.” Ryan lifts you out of the hole.

“If that’s even the right panel,” he mutters. You can only see his eyes behind the mask but they are narrowed and pensive. “You do you think you can make it there?”

You glance back down into the shop. “Yeah, maybe,” you say with a nod. “But I wouldn’t know how to deactivate the panel.”

“You won’t need to,” he says. “You go first, find a good path to the panel, then you’ll talk me through it and I’ll handle the sensors.”

Your stomach feels queasy but there’s no turning back. “Okay, help me down again.”

This time you lower your legs in first. Ryan holds your upper half tightly as you carefully find sturdy footing on one of the taller shelves.

They seem to be pretty solid pieces of furniture and they don’t wobble under your weight. As he helps lower the rest of you down, you smile up at him. “Wish me luck.” You place a quick kiss on the mouth of his skull mask before disappearing into the shop.

You crouch on the shelf, almost cat-like, and crawl until you reach the edge. There are several options and you test each one before moving forward. It’s an achingly slow processes and your ears seems to be picking up every little sound, waiting for voices or footsteps. But none come.

You finally make your way to the counter where the cash register is, but the control panel is around the corner and you can’t seem to find a surface close to or near it. You bite your lip as you think.

“Babe?” you hear Ryan’s voice softly call. You look over in time to see him carefully climbing down onto the shelf. He is a lot bigger than you and the liquor bottles rattle unpleasantly.

“Careful!” you whisper back. “You’re not centered. Watch your left foot.”

“How are you doing over there?” Ryan asks, following your orders.

“Stuck,” you confess. “Can’t reach the panel.”

“Well, lead me over there and I’ll see what I can do,” he says.

You do as he says and it takes even longer because some of the shelves you used won’t hold Ryan’s weight. Several tense minutes later he’s on the counter with you. “Here,” he says, scooting closer. “Switch places.”

You agilely climb over his lap and you hear him chuckle as you do. “God damn you’re so flexible.”

“Focus,” you smirk.

He takes a look at the control panel. “Okay, I think I know what to do,” he says. “If I lean far enough, I press against the wall and should be around to reach around the corner. But, when I do, hold my jacket and lean back. It’ll help me balance.”

“That is a terrible plan,” you tell him.

“You got a better one?”

Sadly you don’t, so you have no choice but to clutch your husband’s jacket for dear life as he reaches for the panel. Your arms begin to shake within seconds and you begin to sweat even more. “Almost got it,” Ryan mutters.

Your hands are just about to slip when you hear a beat and the lights of the motion sensors go off. Ryan straightens himself and carefully climbs off the counter, before scooping you into his arms and helping you down. “The office,” you tell him.

You both rush into the manager’s office and begin searching for the secret door you know must be there. After a few seconds of searching, Ryan motions you over to the desk, and the both of you get on one side and push it. There’s a click and it swings forward, revealing a large hole in the wall and a staircase leading down. Ryan goes first, pulling out his gun and turning the safety off. You follow his lead and cover his back.

When you reach the bottom of the steps, you see a door just ahead and a soft light coming from under it. He turns to you and you nod him forward, showing him your gun is at the ready. He opens the door.

You’re not sure what you were expecting, but the hidden room is empty. It’s large however, way larger than you would have guessed, without one uncovered bulb hanging from the center. The shadows it casts are dark and terrifying. The walls and floors are solid concrete, and there are benches, chains and various other objects you can’t bring yourself to look at.

But there’s aren’t any people. Or any bodies. However, the dark brown stains on the floor look suspiciously like blood.

“They bring them here,” you tell Ryan as you both slowly circle the room.

“This is disgusting,” Ryan tells you. “We have to tell the cops.”

You reach the center of the room and spin slowly to take everything in...and that’s when you see the security monitors on the wall. “Oh shit!”

Ryan turns sharply to follow your gaze. There aren’t cameras inside, because they are all covering the outside. Which means, the caught you coming in.The Boss isn’t as dumb as he looks. He must have the security feed from this building connected to his own personal monitoring system off site.

And if the group of men walking towards the shop is any indication, the Boss knows you’re there.

“Time to go,” Ryan says, grabbing your hand. You both book it out of the underground room and up the concrete stairs as fast as you can. You are just stumbling out of the manager’s office when you hear the front door of the shop bang open.

“The back, the back!” you say hurriedly, pulling Ryan in the direction of the rear exit. He follows right behind you and neither of you worry about sneaking anymore. It’s too late for that. You burst through the backdoor and down the steps as quick as you can. However, as you turn to run down the alley towards the street, you skid to a halt to keep yourself from hitting someone.

The Boss blocks your way.

“You both are incredibly stupid,” he says.

You hear a thud and turn just in time to see Ryan hit the floor. “RYAN!”

You lose your gun as your arms are seized and pulled behind you in a tight hold. The men in the shop have caught up to you. You realize that they only sent one through the front door to force you out the back. The other four ran around to cut you off. The man holding your arms tightens his grip painfully.

With a vicious yell, you throw your head back. It connects hard with the man’s nose, breaking it. He screams in pain and falls to the ground, letting you go so he can clutch his bleeding face. You grab his gun from his jacket, spin and grab the Boss, pressing the barrel to his temple.

“Back the fuck up!” you shout at his goons. “Make a move and he’s fucking dead.”

“You kill me, there is nothing stopping them from killing him,” the Boss says.

Ryan looks like he’s trying to get up, but he falls to the ground unconscious. Your eyes connect with the man standing over him and you realize with a sick feeling in your stomach that it’s none other than Ted. His gun is pointed at you. He must have pistol whipped Ryan when he wasn’t looking.

You have no idea what to do. You and Ryan are surrounded, you have the Boss at gunpoint and the worse part is, there is no backup coming. It’s just the two of you. Gotta think fast…

“I said, back the fuck up!” you yell again, presses the gun harder against Boss. But all of his other men draw their guns now, except for the one writhing in pain at your feet. Two of them are pointed at Ryan and Ted is giving you a creepy, satisfied grin.

You have no choice. You have to surrender.

“If you don’t shoot him, I’ll go with you,” you tell the Boss. “Don’t hurt him. Don’t even touch him. And I will go with you willing. I won’t fight you. I was the one that betrayed you. I will deal with the consequences. I don’t care what you do to me. Just…” You hear yourself getting choked up and you curse in your head.

You’ve dealt your hand. Years of perfecting your poker face are gone in an instant.

You know he believes you, because he can hear it in your voice and see it in your trembling hands. The Boss smiles and he nods to his men. There’s a few tense moments of stillness before they lower their guns. One of the men helps the bleeding one to his feet, while the other two begin to walk towards you and the Boss. But you don’t loosen your grip. You’re not going to until they are a few more feet away from Ryan.

Your eyes never leave Ted’s. He stares right back at you, before slowly pointing his gun down towards Ryan. You see his finger twitch on the trigger.

You don’t even flinch. You point your gun at him and fire two shots, right into his forehead. He drops to the ground heavily and the gun clatters away. The Boss elbows you into the stomach, knocking the wind out of you. The two other men seize you and drag you from the alley, but you don’t fight them. That was the deal. You go with them and they leave Ryan alone. 

Apparently the loss of Ted isn’t much of one. The Boss spares him no backwards glance, nor does he order his men to retrieve the body.

The men practically toss you into the car before they all pile in. As the door slams shut, you see Ryan stir again and slowly lift himself onto his knees. Thank god he’s alive. But then the car is starting and the Boss is yelling at his men to go.

The last thing you see as the car peels away is Ryan yanking off his mask and yelling your name as he watches them drive away with you.


	20. Chapter 20

Boss takes you to the one place you never thought he would.

You pull into the parking garage of his office building and his goons manhandle you out of the car. But there’s no reason to, because you’re not resisting. You told him you wouldn’t and in response he spared Ryan’s life. Whatever happens to you next doesn’t matter because Ryan is safe, and that’s all you care about.

“Why did you bring me here?” you ask out loud.

Boss doesn’t answer you. He orders his men to bring you to his office and they do without question. Once there, they force you into a chair and bind your wrists behind your back with zip ties. The chair is metal and heavy, and even though your legs aren’t bound you wouldn’t be able to lift it if you tried to stand.

“Leave us,” the Boss orders. “And don’t fucking disturb me!”

The men leave and the room falls into tension silence. You watch the Boss pace the room, eyeing him warily. His gaze avoids yours for the most part, until you grow impatient. “What? After all of this you don’t know what to do?” you ask.

Boss rounds on you. “I know exactly what to do!” he snarls and you see his hand clench into a fist. Your head snaps to the side by the force of the punch and you already know your cheek is going to swell.

But you don’t cry out. You glare up at him. “Feel better?” you ask. Boss punches you again and this time your lip splits open. “Evidently not.”  

“Do you know how much you’ve cost me?” Boss bellows. “All the heists I couldn’t prevent because of you! The business and money I’ve lost? The contacts?!”

“Boo fucking hoo!” you growl, spitting blood at his feet. “Let me play a song for you on the world’s smallest fiddle!”

“You’re so confident, aren’t you?” Boss asks sarcastically. “You think you can just waltz in, fuck shit up and then walk away?”

“Think I can?” you ask. “Sweetie, it’s in my job description.” The next punch you anticipate and manage to turn a little so it doesn’t catch you directly. It still stings like a bitch.

The Boss pulls his fist back to punch you again, but the phone on his desk starts to ring. He goes over and presses the speaker button. “I told you not to disturb me!” he snaps.

_“Too fucking bad.”_

Ryan’s voice is unexpected and makes your heart thump wildly in your chest. But as happy as you are to hear him, you’re also terrified. You don’t want him anywhere near here. You got the Boss to spare his life. You don’t want him risking it to get you back.

The Boss turns red, then a weird purple color that you’ve never seen before. “How did you get this number? Where are you?” he spits.

_“Look at your monitor.”_

Angrily the Boss grabs a remote from his desk and turns on a screen on the wall. He flips through the different cameras until he finds what he’s looking for. Ryan’s image makes you nearly weep with joy. You’re not sure where in the building he is, but he’s got three of the Boss’s men bound and on their knees facing the camera. He’s not even wearing his mask. He has a cell phone pressed to his ear as he points his gun on them.

“You crazy idiot!” Boss snarls. “What did you think coming here alone would accomplish? She came willingly! You’re wasting your time!”

_“Here’s what’s going to happen, fuckwad. You’re going to let me talk to my wife. I want to hear her voice!”_

“Ryan!” you call instantly, trying to lean towards the desk phone. “Ryan, I’m-”

“SHUT UP!” The Boss backhands you so hard you bite the inside of your cheek. Your mouth fills with blood.  

Though the image is fuzzy, there’s no mistaking the crazed look in his Ryan’s eyes. They are filled with an anger you have never seen before. _“You touch her again and I will kill every single one of your men before I get to you,”_ he says in a voice that trembles with the effort to contain his rage. _“And when I do get up there, you’re going to know what it feels like to have your insides torn from your body while you still breathe.”_

You can’t help the smirk cross your face. “You thought you were so clever,” you say to the Boss. “You thought they were just a group of petty criminals. Did you ever stop to think about which one of them tortures people? Who leaves the bodies when their heists go bad? Oh wait, I may have left that part out when I was still working for you...”

“I said ‘SHUT UP’!” He backhands you again and this time blood splatters the floor.

“You should not have done that,” you say, blood dripping from your mouth.

The Boss turns triumphantly to look at the monitor. At first you’re not sure if Ryan heard the exchange. He blinks for a moment, before he shoots each of the Boss’s men once in the back of the head. Yup, he heard.

He looks back at the camera. _“Murder break over,”_ he says, before shooting the lens. The monitor goes dead.

Your smirk grows bigger as the Boss swears and slams his remote on the desk. “When I’m free from these binds,” you tell him, causing him to turn to you sharply. “I will shoot you, and I will smile when I do it…”

This time when the Boss punches you, brightly colored spots decorate your vision. “I should just kill you right now,” he says.

“Then why don’t you?” you ask with a snarl. “You’ve had this entire time to do it, chicken-shit. Why wait?”

The Boss grabs your chin to force you to look at him. You try to jerk away but his grip is too tight. “Because when I kill you, I want your husband to be standing right there and know that he was too late.”

You throw your head forward and headbutt the Boss. He drops to the ground, still conscious but swearing and blinking furiously. The door bursts open and for a second, you’re confused as to why Lindsay is standing there. Until you remember she’s his receptionist. You try to contain your smile, but you’re too damn pleased with yourself.

“Boss?” she asks, moving into the room. She comes to a stop next to your chair and you try very hard not to make eye contact with her.

“I’m fine!” the Boss snaps, pressing his hand to his head as he struggles to get up. “Call all the men back. We have a situation.”

As the Boss pulls himself up by his desk, you feel something slip into your hand. You look up at Lindsay, but she doesn’t look down at you. “Right away, sir,” she says before hurrying out of the room.

You close your fingers around the razor she slipped into your hand.

You fully expect the next round of punches that come your way. You take each one without flinching but your head is spinning by the time he's done. The Boss is visibly angry and he marches over to his desk.

"What...was...the point of all of this?" you pant. "Hiring me, trying to bring me down, kidnapping me, beating me...?"

"When your enemy knows too much, you discredit them and eliminate them," the Boss says.

“All this to cover your human trafficking?” you ask. “You’re disgusting and we’re going to put a stop to all of it.”

“You may have taken down the men before me, but you won’t live long enough to tell anyone what you know,” the Boss says. As he talks, you move the razor between your fingers and get to work trying to cut through the zip ties.

“How do you know my husband hasn’t already?” you point out.

The Boss sneers. “Because he got here too fast. He didn’t have time,” he says. “All I wanted was for you to keep an eye on my old partner and make sure he didn’t know anything about my side business. And you did your job. He doesn’t know, and he never will. You and Haywood are collateral damage.”

“Do you really think the crew won’t retaliate if you kill Ryan?” you say. “Just kill me, fine, whatever. You don’t suffer their wrath. But if you kill Ryan…”

“Unfortunately, just killing you is no longer an option,” the Boss snaps pushing away from his desk to come towards you. You hide the razor as he does, but after your little headbutting incident, he’s not dumb enough to get closer. “Your husband knows too much now, and he will avenge you. So you both have to go. Now shut up! If you say one more word, I will cut your tongue out.”

You’d love to see him try. You’re about halfway through cutting the zip ties. The Boss turns from you and goes back to his monitor, trying to find a camera that’s working. It seems as Ryan moves through the building he’s taking them out along the way. You have no idea where he could be, but the Boss obviously does. He reaches into his desk and pulls out a gun.

You hear distant yelling and shots being fired out in the hall. You turn to grin at Boss, but you find yourself staring down the barrel of his gun. The door bursts open and Ryan is standing there, pistol pointed forward and blood dripping from his hands. Why his hands are bloody you don’t even want to know.

The sight would be terrifying for anyone else, but your smile widens.

No one moves. The only sound is the Boss cocking his gun. “Take one step and she’s dead,” he says.

“You’re a fucking idiot if you thought I wouldn’t come for her,” Ryan snarls, his hair falling into his angry eyes.

“Oh I was counting on it,” Boss says. “Saves me the trouble of hunting you down myself. She was so adorable though, wasn’t she? Oh yeah, you were knocked out so you couldn’t hear. ‘Don’t shoot him! I’ll go with you if you spare him!’” His high pitch mocking of your voice pisses you off.

“I don’t really sound like that, do I?” you ask.

“Nah, babe, you sound wonderful,” Ryan assures you, his eyes never leaving the Boss’s.

You feel the zip ties break and fall to the ground silently. You can’t tell if Ryan notices, but he lowers his weapon slowly.

“Good man,” the Boss says, lowering his gun a fraction.

That’s good enough for you. Gripping the razor tightly, you jump to your feet, swinging it at the Boss. It catches him right across the cheek and he screams in pain. You send a swift punch to his face and he falls to the ground, instantly knocked out. “Thank god he finally shut up,” you pant, tossing the razor into the corner and shaking your hand out.

Ryan rushes to you and pulls you into his arms, crushing you to his chest in a bone breaking hug. “Don’t fucking ever do that again!” he says.

“They were going to shoot you,” you tell him, your face buried in his chest. You’re getting blood all over his jacket but he doesn’t seem to care. You look up at him and then he's pressing his lips against yours in a harsh, claiming kiss. You wince as he does, considering your face is on fire from the beating the Boss dealt. But you don’t break the kiss until your head is spinning from lack of oxygen.

When you pull away, Ryan takes a step back and looks down at the Boss. “How should we handle this?”

You look between the Boss and his empty chair. So many different men have taken that seat and look where it led. Look what they did with the power. It was so tempting to take the seat. But that’s not you. That’s not what you want. You look back down at the Boss and scoop to pick up his dropped pistol.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Ryan asks. “I know you don’t like guns. I can do it for you.”

You shake your head. “I started this, I’ll end it,” you say, checking the gun over to make sure it isn't damaged. The Boss begins to stir and as he opens his eyes, you smile down at him. “I told you so.”

You empty the clip into him.

As the gun runs out of ammo, Lindsay bursts into the room. “What did you do?!” she exclaims as you toss the gun in the same corner as the razor. “The guys wanted to take him alive!”

"Lindsay, he was running a human trafficking ring,” Ryan tells her.

“Oh, well okay never mind then,” Lindsay says, her horror immediately being replaced with disgust. “The guys will be here in a few minutes. I sent Michael a text as soon as they brought you in. Ryan, how did you get here so fast?”

Ryan doesn’t answer her. Instead you and he share a glance. “If Geoff sees you here…” he says.

“I know,” you say. You grab his jacket and pull him closer. “You have to come with me. Remember, you promised?”

“I will,” he says, his hands cupping your face. “Go to the hotel. The one where we spent our wedding night. Our room is waiting for you. As soon as I deal with Geoff and the guys I’ll meet you there.”

You shake your head. “We shouldn’t split up,” you say. “Just come with me now! You promised! You promised you would come with me!”

“And I’m keeping my promise,” Ryan assures you. “I will meet you.”

“Wedding night?” Lindsay asks.

You both turn to her. You’re not going to lie, you forgot she was there. Her eyes are wide and she looks between both of you before her eyes go to your neck. You reach up and touch the chain that has slipped out from under your shirt. Your fingers close around your wedding band and diamond ring.

“Lindsay…” Ryan says.

She puts her hands up to stop him. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep your secret,” she says. She pauses and sighs. “You’re going to run away together, aren’t you?”

Ryan nods. “Yes, but you have to go first,” he says. “Geoff needs to see that you’re gone.”

You want to argue. You’re afraid if you leave without Ryan that  you won’t see him again. But you have to trust him. You nod, blinking away the tears. You pull him into another claiming kiss, before tearing yourself away.

“There’s a back exit,” Lindsay tells you. “Take the door behind my desk, go all the way down and turn left.”

You thank her and make your way to the door of the office. You pause to look back at Ryan, who gives you an encouraging nod. You swallow thickly, take a deep breath and leave.

\--

You know people are staring at you. Your makeup can only cover so much of the bruising and swelling. You’re sitting at the bar where you and Ryan first spoke. You’re wearing a simple black dress and flats. You didn’t feel like dressing up, but you didn’t want to stand out either. You wear your wedding band and diamond, running your thumb along both as you fidget nervously.

You order another drink and check your phone for the hundredth time. It’s been hours and still no word from Ryan. You had gone back to the hotel, showered and patched up what wounds you could. The suitcase you found waiting for you only had your clothes. You saw nothing of Ryan’s in the suite and you tried not to read too much into it.

You play with your shot glass and stare at the time on your phone. You give it another forty-five minutes and then you have to go. The longer you stay, the more likely it is that Geoff will find you. You down the shot of whatever hard liquor you had requested.

“I prefer the red dress.”

You slam your shot glass onto the counter and spin around to find Ryan smiling at you. You hop down from the bar stool and rush to him, flinging your arms around his neck. He grabs you by the waist and spins you once before kissing you briefly. He puts you back down on the ground and you punch him in the arm as you take a step back.

“What took you so long?”

“Ow!” Ryan complains, rubbing the spot where you hit him. “I’m sorry. I had to get the rest of our stuff and secure some money and transportation.”

“Are we really going?” you ask, your heart swelling with hope. “Is this happening?”

He smiles and nods. “It is,” he says. He reaches into his pocket and draws out his mask. “You know, I’ve worn this thing for years. Ever since I joined the crew. I think it’s time to retire it.”

“But you love that mask,” you say. “And I already told you I don’t want to give up everything…”

“I know,” he says. “But we need to start over. This mask belongs to that guy from the Fake AH Crew. Not your husband.” He tosses the mask on the bar, along with a few bucks to cover your drinks.

“You know I could just get a mask and we can match,” you tell him.

“Nah, we’ll think of something else,” he says. “Maybe we’ll do facepaint or something.” He offers you his arm. You happily take it. “Where too my lady?”

“Somewhere sunny and hot,” you grin leading him out of the bar.

“I know just the place.”

**EPILOGUE - SIX MONTHS LATER**

You reach up and wipe the sweat from your forehead. Rolling over onto your stomach, you rest your chin on your hands as you stare at the clean, blue water.

A soft breeze ruffles your hair and cools your sun-kissed skin. It brings the scent of salt water, fruit and something else that you can never put your finger on. The only marks on your skin are lovebites. Gone are any signs of cuts, bruises, and swelling.

You haven't been this relaxed in years. After months of cruises, four-star resorts, Caribbean beaches and luxury casinos, it's nice to be in one place. The island is going to be a great home for you and your husband.

Speaking of...

You take a long sip of your fruit smoothie as you watch Ryan walk out of the ocean. His buff, naked body is bronzed from so much time in the sun and also void of injuries. His hair is longer and he wears it in a low ponytail now. His beard is gone, but there’s stubble in its place. He looks good no matter what, and you make sure he tell him that every day. You can't help but smile as he walks towards you, water running off him in droplets.

"Like what you see?" he asks as he gets closer.

You smirk and sit up, taking off your sunglasses. "You know I do," you tell him. "I prove it to you almost every night...and most mornings."

Ryan drops onto the beach blanket and crawls towards you. His lips are cold from swimming in the ocean and they move against yours expertly. When he pulls back he takes your smoothie from you. "When are the rest of the staff and contractors coming?"

"End of the week," you say. "Do you think we should build the west wing first? That way we can have the indoor pool and spa area taken care of. I’m tired of going to the mainland for my massages."

"I thought we were going to expand the master bathroom first?" Ryan says after taking a sip of smoothie. "Get that two person whirlpool we wanted. Also we need to go to the mainland for groceries anyways."

You shrug. "I'm fine with whatever. I’m used to living in apartments. I'm not picky."

Ryan puts the glass down and places a hand on your cheek. "We have unlimited funds. We can afford to be picky."

You lean forward and give him another soft, sweet kiss. "Are you happy?" you ask when you separate. You’re always asking him that. You can’t help it. Even though you’re completely honest with each other, there’s always going to be that self doubt. He does a very good job of squashing it however.

Ryan gives you a large smile. "Of course I am," he says. "We're together and we haven't been shot at or beaten in months." You run your hand along the scar on his shoulder. "Are you happy?”

“More than I ever thought I could be,” you admit. “We’re not working for anyone, we aren’t being hunted…I love you.”  

Grinning, Ryan leans forward for another kiss. “I love you too,” he says. “Now come on and warm me up."

You squeal with laughter and shock as he grabs you and pushes you onto your back. "You're all wet and cold! Ahhh no!"

Ryan laughs and shakes his head so the water from his hair gets all over you. "But you're so hot from the sun. And I’m so cold!"

You both are laughing and rolling around on the beach blanket until you wind up on your back again with his lips seeking yours. You meet them eagerly, wrapping your arms around him and pressing into his hard frame.

Tongues dancing together, you kiss leisurely for a few moments, basking in the peace and quiet. You're alone on the island. Just the two of you. You always want it to be this way.

Ryan's hand begin to travel down your side and he grabs your thigh, spreading your legs so he can settle between them. He sits back on his heels to smile down at you before slowly untying your bikini bottoms. You sit up and get rid of the top yourself. Chuckling, you both toss the pieces of fabric in different directions before you pull him on top of you again, your tongue seeking his hungry mouth.

He thrusts gently against you, his throbbing cock sliding against your wet slit. You’re already aching for him and you press your knees into his sides, urging him on. “Fuck,” he swears against your mouth. “I’m going to take you right here.”

“Do it,” you order. You yank the hair tie out of his hair so you can tangle your fingers in the locks.

“You know once the staff gets here,” he says, sliding into you at an achingly slow pace. “We won’t be able to just fuck on the beach.”

“Bullshit,” you say with a groan, arching your back as he becomes fully sheathed inside of you. “This is our island. If I want you to fuck me outside on the beach, you will.”

“Yes, Mrs. Haywood,” Ryan chuckles, his lips trailing down your cheek to brush against your neck. He begins to move his hips and you dissolve into a series of moans. “Mmmm, are you going to lose control for me again?”

A lazy smile crosses your face and you bite your lip. “Make me,” you tease.

Ryan’s growl sounds in your ear and you begin to meet his hips with your own. His hand grabs your thigh for leverage and he deepens his thrusts, grunting and hissing dirty words in your ear as he picks up the pace. Your moans grow louder and your grip on his hair tightens. Your other hand grips his upper arm, your nails digging into his tan flesh. The marks from this morning had faded already, but you’re quickly replacing them with new ones.

“Shit,” you gasp as his cock hits your special spot repeatedly now.

“That’s it,” Ryan growls. His lips smash against yours briefly before he rolls your bottom lip between his teeth. “Are you going to scream for me, babe?”

You do. Oh god do you.

When your orgasm hits you, you throw your head back and cry out your husband’s name. He finishes right behind you, calling your name before his lips are on yours, where they belong.

He rolls onto his back and you find yourself sprawled across his chest. You lift your head and place your chin on your folded hands as you smile up at him. Ryan runs his hand along your cheek before tweaking the tip of your nose with his finger. “Just us?” he asks.

You smile. “Just us.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now adapted into an original ebook: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0189RIHQ4


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